Director: Mick Jackson
By Alex Watson
Some excellent performances are sadly not enough to prop up Mick Jackson's Denial. While this is a solid and thought-provoking story of the notable libel case involving holocaust denier David Irving, it lacks the needed spark to bring it to life. David Hare's script is a well-paced one, but Jackson's direction often flounders, letting down what could have been a gripping story.
Deborah Lipstadt (Rachel Weisz) is a Jewish-American academic who has recently released 'Denial: The Holocaust on Trial' which is highly critical of the opinions of Nazi historian David Irving (Timothy Spall). When Irving confronts her directly and challenges whether the Holocaust ever existed, Lipstadt is insulted. Soon after, Irving sues her for libel in England and forces her to prove whether this great atrocity ever existed. With the help of QC Richard Rampton (Tom Wilkinson), she sets out to prove him wrong.
While Denial is a moving picture that deals well with the absurdity of having to prove hard facts, Jackson doesn't succeed in making memorable. Things start well with Irving confronting Lipstadt during a lecture at Emory University in Atlanta. He openly dares her to prove whether the Holocaust ever took place, taken aback Lipstadt refuses to debate facts. Irving is a cunning edge to the movie that holds the glue together and when he sues her, we can tell he isn't going to go quietly. Highly intelligent and self-educated, Irving is a man who firmly believes his theories and will go down swinging to prove them. Soon after, Lipstadt recruits barrister Anthony Julius (Andrew Scott), who famously represented Princess Diana during her divorce who then aids her in getting headstrong QC Richard Rampton.
From there Jackson decides to make this a straightforward legal drama, there are moments that do raise the game such as an emotional trip to Auschwitz with Dutch scholar Robert van Pelt (Mark Gatiss). But the majority of the action before court time is Deborah squabbling with her legal over the best approach to expose Irving's lies. She wants to put former Holocaust suffers on the stand to give validity to the argument- Julius passionately refuses. Irving is a slippery fish in court and gives his now famous statement about the lack of evidence of three chimneys used for cyanide in gas chambers. 'No Holes, No Holocaust' he claims and the case seems at a standstill. During this time there are scenes which do go to a deep core, in particular when during a dinner Lipstadt is encouraged by a Jewish organisation to settle with Irving.
The finale should have the needed fireworks, but Jackson seems uninterested in releasing them. This lack of emotional involvement gives the movie a void that is impossible to fill. Some key flaws in Irving are exposed and it seems his theories of Nazi Germany might have other influences. Overall the movies rolls towards its expected conclusion and while the voices of those who perished are heard loudly, we can't help but feel that this is just tailor made Oscar bait. Mick Jackson, who previously directed The BodyGuard does show some promising touches during the court scenes but this piece really should have been so much more.
Rachel Weisz for what is possibly the first time in her career fails to sufficiently convince us. Her Queens accent feels strained and seems like that is what Weisz is giving primary attention to for her character. Usually an engaging actress, Weisz feels drastically miscast in this role. Timothy Spall firmly steals the acting honours with an impressive turn as Holocaust denier, David Irving. A self-educated and proud man, Irving is a man who seems to have an answer for anything thrown at him. Spall gives this character a likeable and charismatic feel that makes disliking his convictions hard.
Denial is a movie that wants to be considered for the big prizes but unfortunately, it falls short of what it wants to bring across.
