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'Rabin, the Last Day' would be better without stiff reenactments

( Unrated ) ( Monitor Movie Guide )

'Rabin' is a documentary about the events surrounding the assassination of Israeli Prime Minister Yitzhak Rabin 20 years ago. With material this powerful, the audience shouldn't be attempting to figure out what's real and what's staged.

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Courtesy of Kino Lorber Inc.
Scene from 'Rabin, The Last Day'
  • By Peter Rainer Film critic

Amos Gitai’s “Rabin, the Last Day” is a 153-minute documentary about the events surrounding the assassination 20 years ago, by an extremist Israeli lone gunman, of Israeli Prime Minister Yitzhak Rabin. We see contemporary interviews with, among others, Shimon Peres, who was foreign minister in Rabin’s Labor government, and clips from the massive peace rally during which the assassination took place.

The entire effect, for me, was undercut by Gitai’s heavy reliance on reenactments, often stiffly acted. With material this powerful, we shouldn’t have to continually be puzzling out what’s real and what’s staged. Grade: B- (This film is not rated.)

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