Movie Review: One Life

 

Michael's Movie Grade: A+

A simply wonderful movie. 

This film tells the true-life story of Nicholas Winton, a man who helped over 600 children get out of Czechoslovakia, before the Nazis invaded. We see him both as an old man (played by Anothony Hopkins) and as a young man (played by Jonathan Flynn). As an old man we see him trying to figure out what to do with a briefcase of documents pertaining to his saving of these small children. As a young man we see him, dedicating his entire life to saving as many children as possible. While much of this story is told in a very conventional way, it is also told in an incredibly heartfelt way. This is a movie that will move you to your core. Much of this is due to the truly great performances by Hopkins and Flynn. There is not a single film with Anothy Hopkins that is not much better because he is in it and that is certainly the case here. There are times his performance here will lead you to tears. This is especially true in the scenes when he reflects on the children he wasn't able to save. The fact that he saved so many and yet still felt pain about those he couldn't save, says all we need to know about this man. Anothony Hopkins perfectly conveyed this and the way I saw the pain in his eyes, moved me deeply. However, the ending is probably the most emotional part of the film, and it will leave most any audience completely teary-eyed. The flash back scenes with him as a younger man are also great. Seeing the drive of this man and how he was unable to rest as long as there were more kids to save is incredibly inspiring. It makes us perfectly understand why this man was such a hero and why his story needs to be told in this movie. You will leave the theater wondering what more you can do to help fight any injustice in this world. This film makes you understand that we can't make this world a better place by simply being opposed to evil, but instead doing our best to help anyone in need. This is a message that is not only relevant to our time, but will always be relevant. The movie also benefits from great dialogue and some much needed and truly funny humorous parts to help even out the heaviness of the story. 

This is a truly a must see.