Critic's Grade: B-

There's something really wrong with this movie. "The Believer" has all the dynamite in place to become an explosive, blistering, searing portrait of Anti-Semitism in today's modern culture, its razor-sharp dialogue and explosive lead performance branded into our minds for days after, no matter how flawed the rest of the film may be. But when it comes time for writer/director Henry Bean to deliver on his premise, there is a great, gaping void about what the film is trying to say. Is it a warning? An examination? A moral message? Could be all three, and it very well could be none of them; the point is, there comes a point at which the film must make certain moves in regards to the psychological study of its main character, and its refusal to do so threatens the stability of the experience as a whole.

Ryan Gosling stars as Danny Balint, a Nazi youth whose influential way with words and speeches has earned him high regard amongst the underground movements in New York City. He has the ability to attract the right kind of attention to get where he wants to go; if Hitler had a reincarnation, this just might be it. But something else is troubling Danny, something rather unexpected: he himself happens to be of Jewish heritage. We see it not so much in words as we do in actions: during the breaking and entering into a synagogue by his neo-Nazi group, he is hesitant to destroy. When the time comes for him to prove himself by taking the life of a Jew, he backs down. Upon meeting Carla (Summer Phoenix), the daughter of a Fascist group leader (Theresa Russell), he does not try to dissuade her from learning the Hebrew language in order to read the Talmud.

In Danny, we see a rising conflict of interests and morals, his devotion to his cause butting heads with his deep-rooted heritage. He is authoritative and has presence in his various speeches, and for a moment, you can see why so many people would buy into all of his hooey and nonsense, because he's that damn good at getting the point across. But a close examination of his ideals and theories reveals what has long been seen by those of us who consider such beliefs to be nonsensical; Danny spends much of his time pointing out flaws like Jewish girls' sexual practices, their dominance of business and money matters, and comparing them to common thieves and smart masterminds of trickery.

However, not once does he ever really make a solid point about his beliefs. At one point in the film, during one of his speeches, he makes the following comments: "Do you wanna know the real reason why we hate [Jews]? Because we hate them; because they exist. Because it is an axiom of civilization, just as man longs for woman, loves his children, and fears death, he hates Jews. There is no reason." That is such a cop-out, folks. It seems to me that Danny, like so many others who champion causes for which they have no solid basis, is running on empty calories, feeding his audience lie upon moronic lie.

I realize that this is the intent of the filmmakers, to portray things like racism and Anti-Semitism as absurd and unfounded, but at what cost to the finished product? If you think about it, Hitler was a terrific speaker and certainly rousing in his attempts to generate interest in his cause, but how many people refer to him as such now, or even in the direct aftermath of his actions? The same can be said for Danny: I was interested in what he had to say for the simple fact that had he been a real person, sitting in front of me, feeding me his crapload of ridiculous beliefs, it would have been a cakewalk to call him on every single point that he brought up. What really feels out of place here is the entire internal conflict concept: I don't consider Danny to be someone with whom we're meant to relate, and his emotional struggle seems more like a ploy to grab our sympathy rather than something with actual feeling.

But despite this unavoidable flaw, "The Believer" has many attributes to offer, primarily as a result of the pistol-hot performance from Gosling, who one-ups his terrific acting in "Murder By Numbers" in a role that requires so much more of him. When it comes to characters such as this, you always have to consider what it takes for an actor to dive into the complexities and mindset of the person they are portraying; with Danny Balint, this was most assuredly no easy task. There is evidence of this in Gosling's acting: his forthrightness and blunt approach make it clear that he isn't simply drawing on spur-of-the-moment abilities here; he has basically become one with Danny.

And no matter how you view the film's presentation of the subject matter, there's no denying that it has a raw power, a surge of energy that cannot be ignored. Like the influential speaker at its center, "The Believer" can be compelling at times, if only before the realization that it won't capitalize on its premise. While it's not a perfect piece, it is by no means a failure. See it once, assess it, experience it, but don't be too surprised if you come away feeling strangely disaffected by it.

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