Fighter

RS: Not Rated

Documentary

Fighter shapes up as one of the great documentaries of this year, or any other. Remarkable, when you consider that the subject of this film from Amir Bar-Lev is merely the travels of two garrulous old men. But what old men! They are Arnost Lustig and Jan Wiener, two Jewish friends who decide to retrace the route, from Prague to southern Italy, that marked Wiener's escape from the Nazis in Czechoslovakia during World War II. As they talk, remember, fight and bring the past to life through their words (and archival footage), a friendship is tested on a road trip like none other.

PETER TRAVERS
(RS 879 - October 11, 2001)