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The Believer

The Believer

Drama · 2001

A hardcore US racist skinhead who, because of his intelligence, leads a gang dedicated to fighting the enemy: the supposed American-Jewish conspiracy for domination. However, he's hiding a secret: he's Jewish-born, a brilliant scholar whose questioning of the tenets of his faith has left him angry and confused, turning against those who he thinks have a tragic history of their own making.

Movie details

The Believer

“He's a jew. He’s a Neo-Nazi. With one true enemy… Himself!”

2001 Drama 1h 38m

Critical arithmetic

One number, for now.

TMDB

6.9 / 10

Community rating

A hardcore US racist skinhead who, because of his intelligence, leads a gang dedicated to fighting the enemy: the supposed American-Jewish conspiracy for domination. However, he's hiding a secret: he's Jewish-born, a brilliant scholar whose questioning of the tenets of his faith has left him angry and confused, turning against those who he thinks have a tragic history of their own making.

CriticWise case file

What this film says about your taste.

Not a recommendation score. A measure of how closely the film’s taste signals resemble yours.

The archetype split

Who fights over The Believer?

The split comes from the same five-axis model used by the test, not audience ratings or review sentiment.

Taste neighbourhood

Nearby on the taste map.

TMDB supplies the candidates. CriticWise reorders them by craft, strangeness, prestige, emotion, and pace.

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Sal is the Italian owner of a pizzeria in Brooklyn. A neighborhood local, Buggin' Out, becomes upset when he sees that the pizzeria's Wall of Fame exhibits only Italian actors. Buggin' Out believes a pizzeria in a black neighborhood should showcase black actors, but Sal disagrees. The wall becomes a symbol of racism and hate to Buggin' Out and to other people in the neighborhood, and tensions rise.

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Names above the title

The people responsible.

Directed by

Henry Bean

Written by

Henry Bean · Mark Jacobson

Ryan Gosling

Ryan Gosling

Danny Balint

Summer Phoenix

Summer Phoenix

Carla Moebius

Theresa Russell

Theresa Russell

Lina Moebius

Billy Zane

Billy Zane

Curtis Zampf

Garret Dillahunt

Garret Dillahunt

Billings

A.D. Miles

A.D. Miles

Guy Danielsen

Glenn Fitzgerald

Glenn Fitzgerald

Drake

Court is in session

Put The Believer on trial.

Two incompatible taste archetypes. One film. Read the arguments, then issue a completely binding cultural ruling.

The defence The Prestige Tourist

“Ambition earns the room.”

The film reaches for consequence and scale, accepting the risk of seriousness instead of shrinking from it.

The prosecution The Popcorn Loyalist

“Importance has entered the chat.”

The production keeps announcing its significance, as though awards-season posture were proof of insight.