Storm (Sturm) (2009)

82% of critics liked it
(22 reviews)
64% of users liked it
(544 ratings)

A prosecutor at a tribunal in the Hague attempts to convince a potential witness to testify in a crucial case against the man accused of deporting and killing Bosnian-Muslim civilians in a small town now known as the Republika Srpska in this tense courtroom drama from director Hans-Christian Schmid.… More A prosecutor at a tribunal in the Hague attempts to convince a potential witness to testify in a crucial case against the man accused of deporting and killing Bosnian-Muslim civilians in a small town now known as the Republika Srpska in this tense courtroom drama from director Hans-Christian Schmid. Hannah Maynard is determined to make Goran Duric pay for his crimes against humanity. Her case is complicated, however, when a key witness in the trial becomes ensnared by the contradictions of his own testimony. In order to gain a better understanding of the facts of the case, the court sends a delegation to Bosnia, where the suspicions regarding the reliability of the witness are quickly confirmed. When the witness commits suicide, it begins to appear as if Duric will walk free. Now, Hannah's last hope of keeping the case alive is to travel to the witnesses' funeral in Sarajevo. There, Hannah comes into contact with the witnesses' sister Mira, who seems to know more about the defendant than she readily admits. Hannah works hard to gain Mira's trust, eventually convincing the girl to face her fears of the past and testify in the Hague. When Duric's defense team attempts to have Mira's testimony disallowed and finds their efforts unexpectedly supported by the members of the judiciary, Hannah realizes that her greatest adversaries aren't necessarily at the docks, but standing right beside her in the courtroom every day. ~ Jason Buchanan, Rovi

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Rating, Runtime: Unrated, 1 hr. 45 min.
Directed By: Hans-Christian Schmid
Written By: Bernd Lange, Hans-Christian Schmid
Genres: Art House & International, Drama

In Theaters: Oct 30, 2009 Wide
On DVD: May 4, 2010
Studio: Film Movement

Critic Reviews

Kevin Thomas, Los Angeles Times
Storm is harrowing, provocative and deeply probing yet quite involving.
Stephen Holden, New York Times
A political thriller with real-world resonance.
Billy Heller, New York Post
In this taut drama about the trial of a Bosnian Serb general from German director and co-writer Hans Christian Schmid, we see how justice can be subverted by interests as banal as international bureaucracy, despite the best intentions...
Nicolas Rapold, Village Voice
The writing by director Hans-Christian Schmid and Bernd Lange is more stilted and righteous than even the U.N. environs, with its humanity-embracing procedural-speak, calls for.
Sean Axmaker, Seanax.com
Under the geopolitics is a strong undercurrent of sexual politics: the men secretly make their deals without a thought to the women whose lives and commitments are on the line.
Alistair Harkness, Scotsman
Shot in an appropriately dry, non-sensational style, German director Hans-Christian Schmid's courtroom thriller does a decent job of exposing the complexities of the issue and the way bureaucratic cowardice can blight and skew morality.
Rich Cline, Shadows on the Wall
It's a bit talky and office-bound, but is full of relevance as it looks at the thorny issue of justice in a politically charged situation
Catherine Shoard, Guardian [UK]
The rewards of this crisp, resigned drama revisiting the horrors of the Bosnian conflict are the same as its flaws.
Nigel Andrews, Financial Times
One of those issue-of-the-month co-productions by which Europe, between golden ages, makes a living.
Adrian Sandiford, Little White Lies
Saved by the talent on display both in front of and behind the camera, Storm just about retains its title as an intense political thriller.
Trevor Johnston, Radio Times
Neither sexed-up nor dumbed-down, Storm is both absorbing and satisfying.
Neil Smith, Total Film
Well acted if somewhat stodgy, this bleak drama argues justice isn't only blind, but also pretty dumb.
Ross Bennett, Empire Magazine
The Hague's sterile offices and endless grey urban sprawl could have made Storm drab; thanks to the cool eye of the filmmaker and the two leads, it's anything but.
Tim Evans, Sky Movies
Occasionally, the dialogue clunks but a winningly vulnerable performance from Marinca goes a long way to building up a picture of a compromised world of political horse-trading where even war criminals can get away with it.
Alastair Roy, The Skinny
Gritty and bereft of excessive drama, director Hans-Christian Schmid offers a clinical study of how a legal system is ill-equipped to heal emotional scars.
Kelly Vance, East Bay Express
Nothing is easy, cut and dried, the ironically titled Storm tells us. No white knight rides in to save the day. And life must go on.
Richard Mowe, Boxoffice Magazine
Hans-Christian Schmid marshals his material on an epic canvas whereas the subject might have been better suited to a more intense and contained treatment.
Avi Offer, NYC Movie Guru
A mostly riveting, well-acted and compelling drama that slightly fizzles out during its rushed third act.
Frederic and Mary Ann Brussat, Spirituality and Practice
Gives conscience a good name and proves the world needs more women warriors to uphold the cause of justice.
Chris Barsanti, Filmcritic.com
The portrait may be accurate but Schmid's overly muted take on the story hardly does justice to the stark terror and injustice that lies at its core.

Read all 20 critic reviews

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Featured Audience Ratings

Cynthia S

Good drama! Not terribly fast moving, but I tend to like that sometimes if the story is intriguing enough. The acting was very, very good. The storyline was very interesting. A lady prosecutor is hellbent on making a war criminal pay for his crimes. A witness is determined to make… More
Good drama! Not terribly fast moving, but I tend to like that sometimes if the story is intriguing enough. The acting was very, very good. The storyline was very interesting. A lady prosecutor is hellbent on making a war criminal pay for his crimes. A witness is determined to make this same war criminal pay for the horrible things that he was responsible for by helping the prosecutor bring him to justice. All was well played out. I enjoyed it.
familiar s

Disappointing!!!