The Statement (2003)

In the heart of 1992, a new French law has emerged, indicting those guilty of crimes against humanity and opening a path to prosecute the shadowy ghosts of WWII Nazi collaborators. At the forefront of this legal revolution is Magistrate Annemarie Livi, handed the daunting task of unearthing the past sins of Pierre Brossard. As a police officer in the quaint town of Dombey in June 1944, Brossard orchestrated a chilling roundup of Jewish individuals, personally selecting seven to face a grim fate. Brossard, once a prisoner sentenced to death for his collaboration, ingeniously escaped his fate in 1955 and has since been under the protective wing of a Presidential pardon. As Livi navigates this complex web of past and present, she enlists the aid of Colonel Roux from the French Army, wary of the police who once sided with the Vichy regime during the war. The pair find themselves caught amidst a high-stakes game of cat and mouse, with an elusive Jewish organization also hot on Brossard's trail. Livi and Roux's pursuit unravels a labyrinth of secrets, revealing hints of a powerful individual known as "The Old Man," an associate of Brossard now potentially entrenched in the government. The duo also uncovers the Catholic Church's covert aid to Brossard, providing him shelter and sustenance, creating a formidable barricade they must breach. With a cautionary warning from a close family friend and government minister, Armand Bertier, Livi realizes she's treading on a minefield of a case. Brossard, ever the devout traditionalist Catholic, is aware of his pursuers, seeking absolution from the church while simultaneously evading capture from both the Jewish organization and the national authorities. The unfolding drama reveals not just a quest for justice, but a multilayered chess game of motives and maneuvers. The Jewish organization's relentless pursuit of Brossard is driven by more than revenge, while the hidden puppet masters pulling their strings work to protect their own interests. This tense thriller unravels a tapestry of hidden alliances, deceit, and the relentless quest for justice, each thread pulling the viewer deeper into the complex narrative.

The Statement is a drama movie featuring Michael Caine and directed by Norman Jewison.

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