The Statement
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The Statement is a 2003 Canadian drama film directed by Norman Jewison and starring Michael Caine. It is based on a 1996 novel by Brian Moore, with a screenplay written by Ronald Harwood.
The plot was inspired on the true story of Paul Touvier, who was indicted for war crimes after World War II. For years after the war he escaped justice thanks to an intricate web of protection, which included many senior members of the French clergy. He was eventually tracked down in a monastery in southern France and was convicted in the mid-1990s. He died in prison in 1996.
[edit] Plot summary
Pierre Brossard (Michael Caine), a French Nazi, orders seven Jews executed during World War II. Later in his life, he is pursued by David Mendelbaum (Matt Craven), who is ordered to kill Brossard and leave a note with a statement on it proclaiming the assassination was justice for the Jews of Dombay. Brossard recognizes Mendelbaum at a local bar and begins to run from him. Brossard kills Mendelbaum, then realizes he must now run from the law to save his life.
[edit] Main cast
- Michael Caine ... as Pierre Brossard
- Tilda Swinton ... as Anne-Marie Levy
- Matt Craven ... as David
- Charlotte Rampling ... as Nicole
