Denial (12A)
Rating: 
Denial is a cleverer title than it first appears for this uneven but stirring account of the libel action brought two decades ago by Holocaust denier David Irving, who subsequently conducted his own prosecution in the High Court, against the American historian Deborah Lipstadt.
For not only did Irving deny that systematic gassing of Jews had occurred at Auschwitz, but Lipstadt, desperate to take the stand and to give Holocaust survivors their day in court, was firmly denied the opportunity by her solicitor, Anthony Julius.
Allowing the survivors to appear, insisted Julius, would 'legitimise his (Irving's) right to question them'.
Denial is a cleverer title than it first appears for this uneven but stirring account of the libel action brought two decades ago by Holocaust denier David Irving (Rachel Weisz pictured)
Mick Jackson's film tells the story accurately, without too many frills and flourishes, but struggles a little to generate tension from a narrative that unfolds rather predictably whether we remember the case or not.
However, there is a deeply moving scene at Auschwitz itself, where the defence team gathers evidence to challenge Irving's grotesque assertions about the gas chambers — which he claimed were deployed only to kill lice.
Denial is written by celebrated playwright David Hare, and a heavyweight British cast is led by Rachel Weisz (pictured), unveiling her best Noo Yawk vowels as the feisty Lipstadt.
Director Mick Jackson arriving at the UK Gala screening of Denial
As Irving, Timothy Spall is the essence of jowly bigotry (he does a strikingly similar job as the Reverend Ian Paisley in a deservedly little-seen recent film called The Journey), while Julius, who had previously acted for Princess Diana in her divorce, is played (scene-stealingly) by Andrew Scott.
With Tom Wilkinson as the defence barrister and small but meaty parts for Mark Gatiss, Alex Jennings and Harriet Walter, the cast list could hardly be more impressive, and they breathe fire into a screenplay that at times is disappointingly clunky, as when Lipstadt, within the space of a few silly seconds, listens to the Radio 4 shipping forecast, jogs past Big Ben, and admires a statue of Boadicea.
There might as well be a caption reading 'an impressionable American in London'.
Still, on the whole, Denial does proper justice to an important story.
Daily Mail