The Believer (2002)

Please don't spend money on this.

Memorable, crazy movie

Don't listen to the Hype. It's awful

Better Late Then Never

Ryan Gosling is another living proof that most actors gave their best on-screen performances early in their careers when they still have that freshness and hunger for acting. "The Believer" written & directed by Henry Bean (the scriptwriter of "Internal Affairs") tells a story of a young neo-nazi skinhead, Daniel Balint, a self-hating Jew that develops an out of control anti-Semitic philosophy that made him join a White Supremacist group led by the charismatic Curtis Zampf. Based on actual facts, the Daniel Burros' incident, a Jewish American who was a former member of the 'American National Party' and later, a recruiter for the 'United Klans of America' that shot himself to death when his Jewish heritage was exposed in the New York Times by a reporter, "The Believer" is an exceptional well-made film in the vein of "American History X" that grabs the viewer into the tragic story of a misguided young adult, fighting with himself due to his personal views about the closed-minded orthodox Jewish religion and community that causes him to alienate deeply into hate for the authority, religion intolerance and the weakness of thy followers and at the same time, a profound respect for the old traditions of his own heritage. Ryan Gosling delivers a 'tour de force' / haunting performance that deserved even more praise (Golden Globes, SAG and even the Academy Awards) strong supported by the veteran Theresa Russell as the cold-hearted Lina Moebius, the mistress of the White Supremacist Curtis Zampf played gingerly by Billy Zane. Summer Phoenix (River & Joaquin's younger sister) seems a bit lost in the role (and her character wasn't that well developed) but she still delivers. A must-see movie for fans of a competent social drama, away from the Hollywood gimmicks (this is a small budget / independent film) that appreciate this kind of character study.

When I read the first time a news on Jewish Nazi sympathizers in Israel, I thought that it was a bad joke. But it was true, unfortunately true. The movie is a kind of visual debate on that fact but the scene is in US. Although the movie can try to depict the darkened mind set of Nazi supporters in a psychological tempo, I must say that the movie was quite unsuccessful in bringing a strong impression for the audience like me, who likes challenging impressions. Ryan Gosling's performance was totally great although the confused architecture of the screenplay. If the synopsis of the movie was asked from me, I would have written "A believer Jewish young man prefers a very opposite way to show his anger on Nazi. He is in between his anger at Nazis and his anger and mercy on Jewish people who became the victim and who couldn't show deadly resistance to Nazis." The synopsis looks interesting but sub stories cannot complete the whole story. Perhaps, the director tried to show many things at the same time. I don't know, I advise this movie to be watched but will not be one of my favourite ones!

This is definitely a low budget film to say the least. It feels very "art school" which did not influence my rating but I found it interesting to point out seeing that the lead actor is now an A lister. There are not special effects or such which puts more meaning on the roles of the cast to carry the film and keep the viewers interest which it most certainly does. If you are looking for a romantic, dreamy film because you have seen Ryan Gosling in films such as The Notebook then this is not the movie for you. If you enjoyed films such as American History X or Primal Fear then you will find this enjoyable and interesting.

The Believer is a drama that stars Ryan Gosling as Daniel Balint, an Orthodox Jew who becomes a Neo-Nazi. Billy Zane,Theresa Russell and Summer Phoenix co-stars.The film is loosely based on the true story of Daniel Burros, a member of the American Nazi Party and the New York branch of the United Klans of America who committed suicide after being exposed by a New York Times reporter to be Jewish.It was written by Mark Jacobson and Henry Bean,also the film's director.Danny Balint is a member of a gang of racist skinheads that espouses a vile but well-articulated philosophy of anti-Semitism. He also has a secret: he is a Jew and was a top student in Hebrew school before he began to ask too many questions about the deeper implications of the teachings in the Torah and the Old Testament.Then he got expelled. Angry and confused, he began to explore the philosophies of the neo-Nazi movement, which he soon came to embrace through a mixture of anger over the tragic history of the Jewish people, bitterness over his experiences in Hebrew school, and a loathing of himself. He soon becomes a key member of a skinhead sect led by Curtis and Lina but while they believe that the desire for cultural assimilation by many American Jews will lead to their self-destruction, Danny advocates a more direct and violent approach in dealing with the "enemy".As Danny gains the admiration of his fellow skinheads for his intelligence and commitment, he wins the affection of Carlaand a group member with severe masochistic tendencies. But in time Danny's beliefs begin to shift once again, just as the truth about his background becomes known to his comrades.The Believer is a reminder of the power of film to move us and to make us examine our values.It is also one of the most thought-provoking and hard-hitting films ever released.Also,its underlying premise is simple and understandable to any one of us who have grown indifferent to many of the teachings we accepted with such naiveté, such open hopeful hearts throughout our early education.Finally,what really makes it effective is Ryan Gosling,who commands the screen with a raw, electrifying performance for he is a powerful actor.