Denial

Inspired by true events, Denial follows historian Deborah Lipstadt (Rachel Weisz) as she’s forced to prove the Holocaust actually happened after a notorious denier (Timothy Spall’s David Irving) sues her for libel. There’s little doubt that Denial benefits from an opening half hour that instantly draws the viewer into the real-life scenario, with the promising, intriguing vibe perpetuated by an emphasis on the ongoing rivalry between Weisz and Spall’s respective characters’. (There is, for example, a pretty riveting early scene in which David confronts Deborah during her presentation to an auditorium of students.) The first act has likewise been infused with sequences of an unexpectedly mesmerizing nature, including Deborah’s initial meeting with one of her lawyers (Andrew Scott’s Anthony Julius) and the legal team’s eventual tour of the Auschwitz concentration camp. It’s fairly disappointing to note, then, that what follows is a predominantly by-the-numbers courtroom drama, with the progressively less-than-enthralling atmosphere compounded by David Hare’s dry, almost mechanical screenplay – although, to be fair, there are a few electrifying moments sprinkled throughout (eg Spall’s David is questioned by an opposing lawyer, brilliantly played by Tom Wilkinson). The predictable bent of Denial‘s third act confirms its place as a well-meaning yet overly routine endeavor, with the movie rarely as captivating and engrossing as its searing subject matter might’ve indicated.

**1/2 out of ****