Review of The Grey Zone (2001) by James H — 11 Oct 2005

When a work of fiction, whether it be based on "true" events (one can never really know) or completely fabricated, can serve as a warning against slipping into heinous mistakes of human past, then it does have some value, even when that message loses some impact through constant repetition.

Yes, my enemies (somebody else just tried to write "friends"...stupid Man-Child!), here we have the billionth rendition of the horrors of the Holocaust, this time featuring a concentration camp in Poland nearing the end of WWII, with the sinister "work" of the showers and ovens at full pace owing to Nazi realization that they would soon be defeated.

Our story focus lies with the moral choice made by some Jews to work the dire machinery, destroying their "own people", though they themselves make designations on national boundries. (eg. "Hungarian Jews", "Czech Jews", etc).

Are they fiends, heroes, or merely scared humans doing what they feel they must to survive?

The film does bring across the impact of the slaughter. On one hand we have the piles of bodies (well done, dead body extras! I believed you.), and on the other there is a well done example of herding people into the shower to "delouse", only to have us listen to all their screams in unison as they realize they are being gassed. That last is probably the best way to reach out and grab the viewer, as opposed to showing people inside running around and falling down dead. (cheaper too!).

The cast is adequate to the material, even though it was quite humourous to hear Harvey Keitel doing a German accent. Steve Busemi lends credence to the picture, and even David Arquette is adequate to his position. Stronger performances are turned in by lesser known players, and they shall remain so as I disdain to look them up.

Now, let us get to why this a '6'. I've seen it all before. I realize that Nazis were bastards. I am aware that we must protect ourselves against the same conditions that saw Hitler rise in Germany. I also am aware that difficult, life threatening situations can twist any person's moral and ethical code beyond recognition.

One so inclined could delight in a debate over the morality of the prisioners, despite the fact they were the only group, the 12th out of 13, that rebelled, knowing they faced certain death.

For me, there are no surprises, and nothing new to consider. So, in a cinematic landscape full of films just like it, to watch it once is enough.