The Believer (2001)
Storyline
A hardcore American 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.
Directors
Cast
Elizabeth Reaser, Ryan Gosling, Tommy Nohilly, Tibor Feldman, Billy Zane, Garret Dillahunt, Ronald Guttman, Glenn Fitzgerald, Joel Garland, Ebon Moss-Bachrach, Heather Goldenhersh, Chuck Ardezzone, Henry Bean, Joshua Harto, Theresa Russell, A.D. Miles, Sascha Knopf, Summer Phoenix, Jordan Lage, Kris Eivers, Dean Strober, Judah Lazarus, Sig Libowitz, Jacob Green, James McCaffrey, Frank Winters, Peter Meadows, Lucille Patton, Michael Marcus, Roberto Gari, John Wills Martin, David Bailey, Christopher Kadish
Trailer
Reviews
91
Portland Oregonian
A deep and extraordinary film that isn't afraid to look evil in the face -- or, for that matter, to acknowledge that evil can be more complicated and even attractive than we'd want to admit. It's very, very difficult to watch, but you shouldn't miss it.
90
Rolling Stone
Unique and unforgettable.
80
New Times (L.A.)
There are a couple of technical rough spots, but this daring film challenges most widely held notions about religious conviction while providing a complex portrait of an identity crisis that's run amok and a good mind that's jumped the tracks.
75
It is a challenging film, if not always a narratively cohesive one.
75
Ryan Gosling's riveting as a neo-Nazi who was raised in Jewish faith
