John Rabe Review
By David Kempler
Nazis Are People Too
There is no such thing as a good Nazi. That's something that most us can agree on, right? Not so fast. John Rabe, a German businessman who lived and worked in Nanking China, for the Siemens company, was a good Nazi. At least, sort of.
Rabe is credited with sheltering 200,000 Chinese people from Japanese atrocities during the Nanjing Occupation. Academy Award winner, Florian Gallenberger, has written and directed the story of John Rabe's positive impact on China, basing it primarily on Rabe's war-time diaries.
Ulrich Tukur stars as Rabe, and his performance is Oscar-worthy, having already captured the Best Actor Award at the Bavarian Film Festival for this role. He breathes life into the character, and the nuance he brings is what holds everything together. Not that he doesn't have a great deal of help. All of the performances are stellar.
Even though Steve Buscemi initially looks out of place, he also shines as Dr.Wilson, the man in charge of the local hospital. Wilson is at odds with Rabe, politically, but they share a humanitarian outlook towards all people. While they are often at odds, they soon respect each other.
"John Rabe" clocks in at a lengthy 134 minutes, but Gallenberger keeps the pace flowing, and she has a great, true tale to work with. You'll need a bit of patience in the beginning while everything falls into place, but once everything is set, it is a very good piece of filmmaking.
