Mick Jackson directs Rachel Weisz, Timothy Spall and Tom Wilkinson in this recreation of the libel court case brought against a Jewish historian from a holocaust denier. 

Rachel Weisz is one of the safest pair of hands in modern cinema. Her great performances are numerate but she can even lift weaker blockbusters like The Mummy franchise, The Bourne Legacy or Constantine up to a degree above mere disposable entertainment. Which makes Denial frustrating. An interesting footnote in modern history handled with a calm, measured cinematic matter of factness.  One can’t help but think though given her actions, reactions and how her legal team deal with her, as presented here, that Deborah Lipstadt (the ostensible hero) is a person so annoying, and so lacking self-awareness, that she needs to be essentially muzzled in court so as not come across less sympathetic than a fucking posh, vainglorious holocaust denier! If that was the reality then it comes across insidiously in her representation here but why not lean into the problem that Lipstadt’s personality was a major hurdle to overcome for the legal team to gain further excitement? There’s satirical fun to be had there and a conflict for Weisz’ character to work off of for the running time. Or is it a problem with the script or performances? So as not to appear like Weisz becomes a passive sideline observer to her own trial from the second act onwards they have added blurty lines and idiotic responses that accidentally make her seem like a fucking liability? Either way, a fumble. What could make Denial a better film, and it is still a perfectly watchable one, is some formal risk taking with the narrative. More focus on the antagonist… Spall is not only excellent but his Irving proves quite the proactive and guileful customer. Would it have been in such bad taste to make a film where we follow a opportunistic right winger’s machinations until he is eventually hung by his own petard? The drama only really perks up after Irving lands a glancing blow in court, intentionally just in time for the tabloid deadlines. The movie comes to life in that 10 minutes as the defence team scramble around an enraged Lipstadt back at their offices… I wonder if a more ambitious script resembling 12 Angry Men or The Thick of It set within these after hour moments could have had more grip and grunt, while still easily getting the main points of the case across. The lack of ambition still doesn’t make it any less eyecatching a tale but just imagine if it was a bit more unfettered, a bit more experimental.

5