Full Movie Reviews
Rating of
3/4
"Snow Falling On Cedars" by yojimbo
Yojimbo - wrote on 05/21/2012
When an American-Japanese fisherman is accused of murdering an childhood friend in the shadow of WWII, Ethan Hawke finds himself trapped in a crisis of conscience when he comes across possible evidence of his innocence.
This is a beautifully crafted, very literary period drama in which the courtroom scenes are intercut with flashbacks from the lives of the various protagonists to produce a rich tapestry of motives, prejudices and conflicts of interest that affect their actions. It's beautifully shot in gorgeous snow-laden countryside, with a sensitive and pivotal performance by Youki Kudoh, while Max Von Sydow dominates the courtroom scenes in his inimitable style.
Snow Falling On Cedars is an intelligent, artful and mature film that intertwines stories of unrequited love, murder …
Rating of
3/4
Ethan Hawke - Great Performance
MovieMike - wrote on 12/22/2011
‘Snow Falling On Cedars’ (1999) was derived from a masterful novel of the same name, set against real-life American history and penned by first-time writer, David Guterson. Director, Scott Hicks (‘Shine’ 1996, ‘Hearts In Atlantis’ 2001, ‘No Reservations’ 2007), has skillfully brought this original story to the big screen. The story is set in a fictional small town of San Piedro located on the coast of Washington State. The main part of the story occurs during the period leading up to and just after World War II. The community of San Piedro includes a population of Japanese families that work, live, and play side by side with their Anglo neighbors.
As the story opens, just after the end of the war, a well-respected local fisherman is found dead in his own nets. …
