The Book Thief

No extended fight scenes. No unnecessary pyrotechnics. Simply a story of ordinary people conducting themselves in extraordinary fashion when faced with the hell of Hitler's Third Reich and World War II.

The literary vehicle of Death as the Narrator is a masterstroke, as is the overall emphasis of words/books/art overcoming evil.

And it's all done with compassion for children at their best and most vulnerable, and adults bypassing the convention of the era to display kindness, caring and understanding.

An understated classic, there aren't enough movies like this being produced.

And that's a damn shame.