The Shepherd (2019) User Reviews

Nope, not very good.

[thehullsmt · 2/10 · 12 November 2023]

Slow, boring, and lazy. Tries to be provocative, but it's not. Cliche characters who are minimally developed, with a dreadfully redundant and overbearing score that is desperately trying to get you to feel something.

The description of the movie says its about a shepherd who is hiding Jews from the Nazis, which is a pretty standard but potentially interesting premise for a European WWII movie. The shepherd's role is central, but rarely in focus. The people he's hiding only show up for the last 10 minutes of the film. Honestly, this movie isn't really about anything or anyone.

The movie wants so desperately to be taken seriously, but I just couldnt do it. It's not one of those "so bad it's good" movies - it's just bad.

a form of exploitation

[toorakian · 1/10 · 23 March 2024]

The Shepherd 2019. This is really a very poor film. It is, in actuality, little more than a pure Nazi-exploitation flick. What does this film tell us about the awfulness of the Nazis and the challenges of aiding Jews that we didn't already know? The acting is generally fine but the script lacks any moral purpose and is full of undeveloped caricatures and unnecessary scenes. This film is little more than a form of crass sensationalism. The script seems to revel in the very violence that it ostensibly condemns. It is not worth the relatively short time that it takes to watch. There are much better films on this theme out there.

Great ww2 film

[ike-tomlinson · 7/10 · 17 April 2022]

Very good WW2 story. Reminds me of Schindler's List and Saving Private Ryan. Left me wanting more and wishing that this was sequel bait or something. Good horror elements of humanity and war combined.

Enjoyed this so much

[amandawyatt-80493 · 10/10 · 17 April 2021]

Fantastic film! Well acted from those around. It's been joyous watching this from beginning to end.

Powerful Film

[LazyLobbyist · 9/10 · 23 October 2023]

I'm not sure how anyone could rate this film a "1." I also notice that NONE of those reviewers bothered to leave an actual review.

Anyway...

This is a powerful, moving film. You're not going to walk away from it with a smile or warm feeling. You will walk away from it feeling you have witnessed incredible filmmaking and a movie that MUST be watched.

From the long, single-takes (which are FAR from boring) to the power that comes with not saying a word to the raw violence, this film will keep you riveted.

Warning: without spoilers, there are scenes that are likely to be disturbing to many people. However, like "Schindler's List" (and yes, I'm making THAT comparison), these scenes have a purpose and it's important to watch.

The acting is impeccable and I can only imagine how difficult - and moving - it was for the actors.

I've seen this movie twice...and still feel a need to watch it again. It's that good.