IMDb > The Believer (2001)
The Believer
Quicklinks
Top Links
trailers and videosfull cast and crewtriviaofficial sitesmemorable quotes
Overview
main detailscombined detailsfull cast and crewcompany creditstv schedule
Awards & Reviews
user commentsexternal reviewsnewsgroup reviewsawardsuser ratingsparents guiderecommendationsmessage board
Plot & Quotes
plot summarysynopsisplot keywordsAmazon.com summarymemorable quotes
Fun Stuff
triviagoofssoundtrack listingcrazy creditsalternate versionsmovie connectionsFAQ
Other Info
merchandising linksbox office/businessrelease datesfilming locationstechnical specslaserdisc detailsDVD detailsliterature listingsNewsDesk
Promotional
taglines trailers and videos posters photo gallery
External Links
showtimesofficial sitesmiscellaneousphotographssound clipsvideo clips

The Believer (2001) More at IMDbPro »

Videos (see all 8 NEW)
The Believer (2001) -- A young Jewish man develops a fiercely anti-Semitic worldview. Based on the true story of a KKK member in the 1960s who was revealed to be Jewish by a New York Times reporter.
The Believer (2001) -- ZuGuide.com - Trailer (Flash)
The Believer (2001) -- MovieMaze.de - Trailer (Quicktime)
The Believer (2001) -- Moviesbox.us - Trailer (Flash)
The Believer (2001) -- kino-zeit.de - Trailer (Flash)

Overview

User Rating:
7.3/10   9,975 votes
MOVIEmeter: ?
Up 2% in popularity this week. See why on IMDbPro.
Director:
Henry Bean
Writers:
Henry Bean (screenplay)
Henry Bean (story) ...
more
Contact:
View company contact information for The Believer on IMDbPro.
Release Date:
23 August 2001 (Russia) more
Genre:
Drama more
Plot:
A young Jewish man develops a fiercely anti-Semitic worldview. Based on the true story of a KKK member in the 1960s who was revealed to be Jewish by a New York Times reporter. full summary | add synopsis
Awards:
5 wins & 9 nominations more
NewsDesk:
(9 articles)
Sit Down, Acting! Ryan Gosling Is Focusing On Music.
 (From FilmJunk. 12 October 2009, 7:21 AM, PDT)

tMF Talkback: Should younger actors win more awards?
 (From The Movie Fanatic. 3 July 2009, 4:48 AM, PDT)

User Comments:
God said to Abraham:kill me a son! more (131 total)

Cast

  (Cast overview, first billed only)

Ryan Gosling ... Danny Balint
Peter Meadows ... Orthodox Student

Garret Dillahunt ... Billings
Kris Eivers ... Carleton
Joel Garland ... O.L.

Billy Zane ... Curtis Zampf

Theresa Russell ... Lina Moebius

Summer Phoenix ... Carla Moebius
Jack Drummond ... Old Coot
Sig Libowitz ... Rav Zingesser
James G. McCaffrey ... Young Avi
Jacob Green ... Young Danny
Frank Winters ... Young Stuart

Ronald Guttman ... Danny's Father
Heather Goldenhersh ... Linda
more
Create a character page for: ?

Additional Details

MPAA:
Rated R for strong violence, language and some sexual content.
Runtime:
102 min
Country:
USA
Language:
English | Hebrew
Aspect Ratio:
1.66 : 1 more
Sound Mix:
Dolby Digital
Filming Locations:
New York City, New York, USA
Company:
Fuller Films more

Fun Stuff

Trivia:
Inspired by the story of Dan Burros, an American Jew, who joined (and left) the American Nazi Party, and then joined the United Klans of America (KKK). Not unlike "the Believer", when a journalist unmasked Burros, he killed himself. "The Believer" takes this as a springboard though, and many of the other details are quite different. more
Goofs:
Audio/visual unsynchronized: In the DVD version, the words "a decade" are silent in the phrase "The Thousand-Year Reich barely lasted a decade..." even though Zampf is still mouthing it. more
Quotes:
Daniel Balint: Let me put it this way: Who wants to destroy the Jews? Who wants to grind their bones into the dust? And who wants to see them rise again? Wealthier, more successful, powerful, cultured, more intelligent than ever? Then you know what we have to do? We have to love 'em. What? Did he say ''Love the Jews''? It's strange, I know. But with these people, nothing is simple. The Jew says all he wants is to be left alone to study his Torah... more
Movie Connections:
Featured in "Anatomy of a Scene: The Believer" (????) more

FAQ

This FAQ is empty. Add the first question.
32 out of 42 people found the following comment useful.
God said to Abraham:kill me a son!, 24 August 2004
7/10
Author: dbdumonteil

Antisemitism has come a long way since "gentleman's agreement"(1947).Kazan's attempt seems rather timid and tame today."The believer " sets the record straight.It's one of the most convincing works in the field.

It's all the more disturbing as the hero is a Jew joining the neonazis.And his behavior stems from his own education,his rebellion against the Torah:Abraham did really kill his own son,the Jew was made to comply with God's commandments;the hero finds similarities between the Nazis's and the Jews's beliefs ;both are the Chosen ones .What puzzles me is the fact that he wants to annihilate the Jews ,but he stills reads (and respects) the Bible(One shall not be naked in front of it for flesh is impure).

His arguments are sometimes disquieting (hints at Marx,Freud and Einstein) but finally it boils down to "we hate the Jews because we have to".

Danny is definitely a complex character,caught in a web of contradictions.One of the strongest scenes shows former victims of the Nazis during WW2;it's of course with them that we side ,and whatever Danny says about how he despises their passivity ,his protected life makes him incapable of true grit.

Spoilers Danny's final sacrifice is revealing:if God's wrath had killed him as pharaoh's tribe drowned in the tide (eg if he had accidentally been killed during one of his terrorisma acts or sentenced to death by a human court),the movie would have been a religious one (God's victory on evil).Danny chose the other way out.They will be speaking for a long time of the final sequence :it resembles an atheist version of that of "Jacob's ladder".The stairs and the teacher's sentence have something of Borges.End of spoilers.

To say that "the believer" is unique is to state the obvious.Even more intriguing,the most celebrated names (Theresa Russel and Billy Zane) are only supporting actors.At a time when graveyards are often profaned,when the far right wing's bad moon is on the rise almost everywhere ,this kind of film has become a necessity.Henry Bean is a very clever director and I hope to see more of his films in the future.

Was the above comment useful to you?
more (131 total)

Message Boards

Discuss this movie with other users on IMDb message board for The Believer (2001)
Recent Posts (updated daily)User
What glasses is Ryan Gosling wearing in 'The Believer' jimsteph55
trivia section mokoko
Question kausix777
Do skinheads like this film ? blakeclassic
can you milk a chicken? shubatri
balint is not a german name! zsozso87
more

Recommendations

If you enjoyed this title, our database also recommends:
- - - - -
Europa Europa Sunshine Die Blechtrommel El diputado Midnight Express
IMDb User Rating:
IMDb User Rating:
IMDb User Rating:
IMDb User Rating:
IMDb User Rating:
Show more recommendations

Related Links

Full cast and crew Company credits External reviews
News articles IMDb Drama section IMDb USA section
Add this title to MyMovies

You may report errors and omissions on this page to the IMDb database managers. They will be examined and if approved will be included in a future update. Clicking the 'Update' button will take you through a step-by-step process.