Schindler's List (1993) review

On my first watch, I thought this was just about a capitalist exploiting people through his own version of forced labor. But now that I know the ending, I see it differently. He was playing along with the system, acting evil to ultimately do good. That duality makes his character much more powerful. The liquidation of the ghetto is brutal. It is one of the hardest sequences to sit through. What struck me more this time is the level of denial from the victims. But I cannot blame them. What the Nazis were doing was unthinkable. It is more horrifying on rewatch. The shadows and framing also tell so much of the story. The way characters are placed and lit reflects power, fear, and control. The scale is massive. The number of extras alone is overwhelming! The score is also superb. It gave me goosebumps multiple times. On my first viewing, I cried during Oskar Schindler’s breakdown when he said he could have gotten more. But this time, I started tearing up earlier, when the soldiers turned their back instead of committing murder. To me, that signals that the worst is finally over. Liam Neeson, Ben Kingsley, and Ralph Fiennes all delivered a masterclass in acting. Truly a masterpiece!