On M List of Movie Reviews

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Music Box (1989)

Rate: 10
Viewed: 3/19, 5/19

3/19: Joe Eszterhas is a gifted writer, and he finally wrote a screenplay that didn't require suspension of disbelief.

All too real, Music Box is a powerful drama about a daughter realizing the truth of who his father is, a former Nazi commandant who went unpunished for the brutal murders of Jews. The lies he told her are chilling, and she has been in denial for so long because she's thinking about how well she was treated by him all of her life.

Outstanding performances are rendered by everybody, most especially Jessica Lange and Armin Mueller-Stahl. The former was Oscar-nominated, but the latter was not and should've gotten it. Neither was Joe Eszterhas for his masterful writing which is a shame.

All in all, Music Box is a film I'll be seeing again and again.

5/19: The story of Music Box is so compelling that it's hard for me to give it less than a '10'.

Jessica Lange and Armin Mueller-Stahl are excellent. The story is powerful. I wonder if the witnesses during the trial were actual Holocaust survivors because their testimonies felt real.

All in all, Music Box is a welcome addition to the Holocaust genre.

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