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Ninth Day, The
Kino International Corp.

Ninth Day, The reviews
Critic Score
Metascore: 67 Metascore out of 100
User Score  
8.6 out of 10
based on 16 reviews
Read critic reviews
How did we calculate this?
based on 8 votes
Read user comments
Rate this movie

MPAA RATING: Not Rated

Starring Ulrich Matthes, August Diehl, Hilmar Thate, Bibiana Beglau, Germain Wagner, Jean-Paul Raths, Ivan Jirik, and Karel Hromadka

The agonizing tale, based on a true story, of a young Catholic Priest who is incarcerated in the Dachau concentration camp.


GENRE(S): Drama  |  Foreign  |  War  
WRITTEN BY: Eberhard Görner
Andreas Pflüger
 
DIRECTED BY: Volker Schlöndorff  
RELEASE DATE: Theatrical: May 27, 2005 
RUNNING TIME: 98 minutes, Color 
ORIGIN: Germany / Luxembourg 
LANGUAGE(S): German / French (with English subtitles) 

Original title "Der Neunte Tag"; Outstanding Feature Film, Best Direction, Best Screenplay, 2005 German Film Awards

What The Critics Said

All critic scores are converted to a 100-point scale. If a critic does not indicate a score, we assign a score based on the general impression given by the text of the review. Learn more...

100
Christian Science Monitor David Sterritt
This is moviemaking on the highest dramatic, psychological, and moral plane.
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83
Seattle Post-Intelligencer Bill White
The dark, rotting interiors and sunless winter skies create a festering atmosphere of unexpiated guilt as Kremer ponders the question of how a decent man is to navigate the rivers of hell.
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80
The Onion (A.V. Club) Keith Phipps
It's important for the film to establish the concentration camp as a hell on earth from the start, but Schlöndorff has more in mind than creating another reminder of the inhumanity of fascism.
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80
LA Weekly Ella Taylor
A morally complex and emotionally satisfying drama about the vagaries of Catholic response to the Third Reich.
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80
Variety Derek Elley
A thoughtfully written drama of ideas with vivid performances by August Diehl and Ulrich Matthes.
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80
The New Yorker David Denby
Powerful, concise, fully sustained.
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75
New York Post V.A. Musetto
It doesn't measure up to Schlondorff's 1979 Oscar winner, "The Tin Drum," but it's compelling nevertheless.
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70
The New York Times Dana Stevens
Succeeds in illuminating an almost unimaginably dark story.
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70
Chicago Reader J.R. Jones
Like Costa-Gavras's "Amen." (2002), this German drama uses a true story to examine the Catholic church's response to the Holocaust, but it focuses less on institutional politics than on personal conscience and responsibility.
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63
Miami Herald Marta Barber
The Ninth Day is far from perfect, but is still thought-provoking and intriguing, a film that can begin its own kind of debate.
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60
TV Guide Ken Fox
A grim meditation on faith and betrayal that focuses on a relatively obscure corner of Holocaust history: the fate of the Catholic clergy under the Third Reich.
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50
New York Daily News Jack Mathews
Earnest but ambling drama.
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50
The Hollywood Reporter Kirk Honeycutt
The film is thought-provoking but not terribly involving.
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50
Village Voice Michael Atkinson
Plays best as a dry exercise in historical doublespeak and rationalization.
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50
Chicago Tribune Achy Obejas
Though The Ninth Day longs for a grander scope, it never lifts much beyond Kremer's personal dilemma.
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50
Washington Post Michael O'Sullivan
Plays more like a philosophical debate than a war drama.
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What Our Users Said

Vote Now!The average user rating for this movie is 8.6 (out of 10) based on 8 User Votes
Note: User votes are NOT included in the Metascore calculation.

Lyna H. gave it an8:
Very emotional, and informative.

Fernando C. gave it a9:
Very inspiring movie, about true values, faithfulness, courage, virtue in general. This is what many holy priests have done, and their lives continue to be a source of inspiration for many.

Gerald B. gave it a10:
A courageous film boasting an extraordinary performance by Ulrich Matthes, one of Germany's best actors. This is not just another concentration camp film; its focus is on a rarely mentioned persecuted group of prisoners— Catholic priests who refused to accept the Nazi political, ethical perspective and actively worked against it.

Gert gave it a9:
A stunning performance. Framed in an historically authentic setting, the philosopical ideas espoused and argued by the protagonists,the and ethical choices open to them, draw the audience into the film. A profoundly thoughtful film.

howard b. gave it a9:
Powerful, thought-provoking film that explores the priest's personal dilemma as well as the larger issue of church-nazi relations.

Josh E. gave it a7:
Although a powerful subject, the story only glosses over the effects of being released from hell and knowing you may return in a few days. Powerful acting by the same man who played a villian in DOWNFALL.

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