This is not an easy watch by any means. Timothy Spall is fantastic and plays the denial character well. So well in fact, despite that I love him as an actor, I hate him in this. Truth is of course my feelings are really directed at the real life character he portrays, David Irving and any other holocaust denier for that matter. That this is a true story is most detestable of all. There's an undercurrent to this story though, away from the matter of the holocaust. It's that of the law, the way it works and the way people can work within it. How it can be used to protect racist, antisemitic people. How the simple right and wrong of the court is hard to equate in the real world and how the those wishing to justify their crimes use it, bend it and twist it for their defence. That the law protects everyone, even evil and unapologetically stupid people like David Irving and people like him. Freedom of speech is not freedom to lie. As a film, this is good, solidly acted, Tom Wilkinson being the stand out for me, but it could've been a little better, less glossy perhaps with such an important subject. Still, I'm very pleased that this story was brought to the screen. Holocaust denial is bullshit and every opportunity to call it so should be encouraged.
7/10
