Release Date:
Friday, October 18, 2002
Not another depressing movie about World War II concentration camps, you may say, and, well, youd be right. But this disturbing tale of wartime suffering and redemption does enough to separate itself from that other jovial Auschwitz bonanza, Schindlers List. This is definitely not easy viewing and may even be unbearable to some, but it does have an engaging plot and boasts a high-profile cast, including Steve Buscemi and Harvey Keitel.
Based on a true story, The Grey Zone recounts the final days of a Sonderkommando, a special squad of Jewish prisoners, in Auschwitz during the last years of WWII. Put in the moral dilemma of exterminating fellow Jews in exchange for a few more months of life, the privileged group realize their time is limited and, unable to stomach any more, decide to give the Krauts a roasting of their own. By staging one last revolt, the guys manage to pull off the only armed revolt ever at Auschwitz. To complicate matters further, they come across a young girl who has miraculously survived the gas chamber, and their attempts to save her life mirror their own personal attempt at salvation. With such graphic, blood-curdling imagesmasses of naked bodies being lumped into huge ovens and female prisoners being tortured into insanityThe Grey Zone will make you squirm uncomfortably in your seat. Although it spares you from the most obscene details, it does enough to suggest the extent of the misery and suffering involvedwhich is probably closer than you really want to get.
Based on a true story, The Grey Zone recounts the final days of a Sonderkommando, a special squad of Jewish prisoners, in Auschwitz during the last years of WWII. Put in the moral dilemma of exterminating fellow Jews in exchange for a few more months of life, the privileged group realize their time is limited and, unable to stomach any more, decide to give the Krauts a roasting of their own. By staging one last revolt, the guys manage to pull off the only armed revolt ever at Auschwitz. To complicate matters further, they come across a young girl who has miraculously survived the gas chamber, and their attempts to save her life mirror their own personal attempt at salvation. With such graphic, blood-curdling imagesmasses of naked bodies being lumped into huge ovens and female prisoners being tortured into insanityThe Grey Zone will make you squirm uncomfortably in your seat. Although it spares you from the most obscene details, it does enough to suggest the extent of the misery and suffering involvedwhich is probably closer than you really want to get.