Subtle brilliance

"The Remains of the Day" is not a film that will just blow you away. It doesn't shock you and get your emotions riled up. What it does is slowly engulf you in its characters, story, and morals.

Stevens (Anthony Hopkins) is the butler to Lord Darlington. He is always polite, never exposes his feelings, and is a constant fanatical perfectionist in the house. He takes his job so seriously that he will not allow himself to express his love for the housekeeper (Emma Thompson) or his disapproval of Darlington's Nazi activities. He stands by and does nothing, which is one of the themes of this film. Hopkins, as usual, is brilliant, adopting every stern mannerism of a rigid English butler and the calm presence as well. Thompson is good as well, but smaller roles by Hugh Grant and Christopher Reeve are more interesting. Reeve is a surprise here, playing the American Senator and new owner of the house very well.

But the film takes a while to really understand. The themes and events are subtle, and you have to watch and read between the lines to understand what was actually going on. The characters themselves are also frustrating, especially Stevens, in their coldness. It's not a great film because of it's dynamic dialogue and story, but because of the perfect and subtle acting and the intellectual and thematic plot.