Forgiven

I've never written an IMDB review before but am provoked to do so by the current rating of 5.8, which is so far off the mark that I am shocked. Whitaker and Bana both give Oscar-worthy performances. This is Bana's best performance ever --- he makes his character truly terrifying. The interaction between Bana and Whitaker is so intense that it should be a film-study classic. This great story weaves together the best and worst things about humans. A great story, too, and an important educational lesson.

Sometimes a film does not need to be original or show artistic flair when telling its story. This is particularly the case when portraying momentous and in this case tragic historic events. And critics always searching for "originality" or "flair" when reviewing a film can at times consider no context when truly understanding the intention of a movie such as this one.

A film can certainly do history justice by purely being authentic with strong and brave performances as is the case in The Forgiven.

A movie about the fallout of South Africa's transformation from apartheid to a fragile state of confusion and change, runs the risk of "trying too hard", embellishment or falling victim to basic flaws such as bad acting or poor story telling. However this film is executed perfectly and the performances from Whitaker and Bana were simply outstanding.

I for one didn't know much of the Apartheid 'era' (for want of a better word), but found his film to be a raw and confronting telling of the draconian state of affairs predominately black South Africans were forced to suffer through.

Whitaker's performance was flawless. Bana's was solid.

That last scene in the court room was bloody gripping.

Part of me would have liked to have seen Bana break at some point but I was left satisfied enough at how his story ended up being told.

It's not one you'd plan your night around but I felt it had enough grit and intrigue to earn its rating.

Well this is my first ever review of any film on imdb. This was a subtle yet powerful film. Played out with a sense of realism and not a glamorous melodrama. I really enjoyed this and the performances of all were great. Eric Bana again knocks it out of the park, and forrest well what can you say. The ending crept up like a patient cat waiting to strike you unexpected and... IT DID. Well worth a watch and something that can teach you a great deal about the power of the human soul to endure and forgive. Against all odds.

An essential film explaining quite a bit of the appartheid and its dissolution. Good and evil fights.