Review: The film draws in the viewers immediately as they watch a barrage of reporters in different clips ask Wiesenthal why he still continues his hunt even decades after the World War Two ended.  The opening sequence sets the stage well for the film, quickly explaining all of its basic points by summarizing his quest, showing his pure determination, and demonstrating that his battle has been so public for so long it’s easy for anyone to feel something for it or against it.   After the introduction, the film moves through Wiesenthal’s pre-war life and gives a great deal of background that helps paint a picture of how much he lost during the Holocaust.  As the film continues through the war years, the core of the story finally emerges as he begins his quest to bring war criminals in hiding to justice.  This post-war section shows some off the film’s best art direction, which weaves new film in with old news reel type footage and even adds in some of Wiesenthal’s own drawings of the death camps, which he drew while he was a prisoner.   The documentary’s second half goes through some of Wiesenthal’s more high profile cases where he found both very public success and widely criticized failure.  Some of the examples don’t translate to the film as well as they should, though, but each chapter highlights the documentary’s amazing array of notable supporting characters.  Wiesenthal’s co-workers, his few remaining family members, and even his enemies (seen in archive footage) all contribute to the overall plot, notably in one scene when one of his former colleagues discusses his covert operation infiltrating Adolf Eichmann’s family to get evidence about the whereabouts of the hidden former SS officer.   The movie does have some slow moments but for the most part, the film knows exactly what to do with itself after these lulls and it brings the viewer right back into the story by returning to its central question: why he did it.  Also, the film presents information once or twice that seems a little unfounded, but in an artistic move that turns out to work well for the story, the movie very deliberately goes back to explain everything.   The documentary notably closes out the story superbly and takes time to discuss aspects of Wiesenthal’s personal and global legacy, including a mention of how closely his work influenced how the United Nations now handles persecution of war criminals.   Review by Ryan Pollyea   Informative: 4- It effectively explains the many topics covered without getting too weighed down Entertaining: 3.5- Almost every interview helps move the story but there are slow moments Technical: 4- There’s a few problems with the audio but the visuals blend well Overall: 4- It’s a well made portrait of Wiesenthal’s life that is definitely a good watch
 
Format: DVD Year: 2007 Running Time: 105 minutes Distributor: Luminous Velocity Releasing, et al Producers: Marvin Hier and Richard Trank Director: Richard Trank
Date Reviewed: 4/6/09
 Story: This documentary details the life of famed Nazi hunter Simon Wiesenthal from his birth and his time in captivity in a Nazi death camp through his decades long search to bring escaped war criminals to justice.