Snow Falling on Cedars **** (1999, Ethan Hawke, Max von Sydow, Yûki Kudô, Rick Yune, James Cromwell, James Rebhorn) – Classic Movie Review 884

Immediately after World War Two, in an American Pacific Northwest small town, the discovery of the death of a white fisherman at sea and the subsequent murder trial of his neighbour, a Japanese-American fisherman (Rick Yune), sparks the rampant local racism that infected the period.

Co-writer/director Scott Hicks’s steady-moving, beautifully crafted, 1999 literary adaptation (of the novel by David Guterson) richly rewards the viewers’ patience. Ethan Hawke smoulders intensely enough as young journalist Ishmael Chambers reporting on the case, the movie looks stunning in the marvellous cinematography by Oscar-nominated Robert Richardson, and the great Max von Sydow gets a part he deserves as Nels Gudmundsson.

Oddly, despite its sedate pacing and serious topic, Snow Falling on Cedars is quite dramatic and effective in its chilly sort of way, with rock solid acting support work from James Cromwell as the judge and James Rebhorn as the sheriff. The film is a huge credit to Hicks, the director of Shine and Hearts in Atlantis.

Richard Jenkins, Celia Weston, Reeve Carney, Ann Suzuki, Eric Thal, Daniel von Bargen, Zak Orth, Sam Shepard and Cary-Hiroyuki Tagawa are also in the notable cast.

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© Derek Winnert 2014 Classic Film Review 884 derekwinnert.com