John Rabe 2009

Scott Tobias, AV Club: Reduced to obscurity after the war, Rabe deserves to be remembered for his role in shielding hundreds of thousands in a "safety zone" on company grounds. But the film will help little in securing his legacy. Read more

Peter Rainer, Christian Science Monitor: Thanks to Tukur, what we get here is still something: a stunning portrait of a good man caught in a widening inferno. Read more

Cary Darling, Dallas Morning News: An effectively epic and sometimes moving rendering of a momentous event that easily could have remained a historical footnote. Read more

David Denby, New Yorker: One of the main virtues of John Rabe is to demonstrate that, however much we know about the worst of all wars, it still has little-known corners that can amaze us. Read more

V.A. Musetto, New York Post: There are many powerful moments, including a mass beheading, before the film turns into a sappy, Frank Capra-esque affair. Read more

Stephen Garrett, Time Out: Think of this once-removed re-creation as a melodramatic shoehorn into unspeakable despair. Read more

Derek Elley, Variety: Despite the emotive subject matter, pic is often too sluggish dramatically, and never knits together its stock Western characters into a satisfying whole. Read more

Eric Hynes, Village Voice: Cello-scored pantomimes of resilience and grief can make us feel, but it's not always evident who or what that serves. Read more

Michael O'Sullivan, Washington Post: It is a tale of a true hero, even if in its minor details it's less than entirely true. For a movie with ambitions as big as "John Rabe," that doesn't just make it good. That makes it epic. Read more