The Statement is a 2003 drama film directed by Norman Jewison and starring Michael Caine. It is based on a 1996 novel by Brian Moore, with a screenplay written by Ronald Harwood.
The plot was inspired by the true story of Paul Touvier, a Vichy French police official, who was indicted after World War II for war crimes. In 1944, Touvier ordered the execution of seven Jews in retaliation for the Resistance's assassination of Government Minister Philippe Henriot. For decades after the war he escaped trial thanks to an intricate web of protection, which allegedly included senior members of the Roman Catholic priesthood. He was arrested in 1989 inside a Traditionalist Catholic Priory in Nice and was convicted in 1994. He died in prison in 1996.
This was the final film for Jewison, director of such acclaimed films as In the Heat of the Night, The Thomas Crown Affair and Moonstruck.
Pierre Brossard (Michael Caine), a French Nazi collaborator, orders seven Jews executed during World War II. Some 40 years later, he is pursued by "David Manenbaum" (Matt Craven), a hitman who is under orders to kill Brossard and leave a printed 'Statement' on his body proclaiming the assassination was vengeance for the Jews executed in 1944. Brossard sees "Manenbaum" at a local bar, becomes concerned about possible trouble, and begins to run from him. Brossard kills "Manenbaum", then realizes he must now run from the law to save his life. Brossard hides "Manenbaum's" body and car, after robbing the dead body, finding the printed 'Statement', and discovering that his pursuer was travelling on a Canadian passport. Brossard spends the rest of the film running between short-term sanctuaries in southern France within the Traditional Catholic community, appealing to long-time allies who have operated in great secrecy to shield him and provide him with funds for years, but now bring increased scrutiny to themselves for continuing to do so.
Verse 1
Its kinda of funny how the world turns
I write a rap and let the blunt burn
Think to myself who i was just a couple of years ago
Now i have homies in my shoes doing time or out on parol
Trapped in the system
Fallen a victim
To their governments
Society lables you a convict when their done with you
Its like somehow, someway
You just cant over come this shit
Try not to get the third strike
But still you wanna come up real quick
You couldn't get a descent job
Because you got tatts in the face
Pockets empty so you went and put a strike on your waist
I know exactly how it is
When your trying not to fall
Locked up behind the wall
Visitation or collect calls
Too many homies of mine
Getting caught up for crimes
Judges breaking mothafuckas off for too much time
And its a shame homies fallen a victim to the game
25 to life and thats life in the game.
Verse 2
He was only 13
Influenced by his peers
Jumped in the neighbor-hood
And got a tattoo tear
All the homies gave him a strap
Yeah he didnt have no fears
Slanging and doing dope
His mind never was clear
He stared into a duration
That he soon would regret
Making mothafuckas bleed for disrespecting his set
He wouldnt listen to nobody
Went in one ear and out the other
Disrespecting his mother
Even stealing money for her
Now what was a shame
Was the homie was naive to the game
Thinking all he wanted to do in life was run the streets and bang
Until he got caught with a strap
Facing triple homicide
Tried and convicted as an adult
Now he's facing 25
And thats life in the varrio
Thats just hows its done
You grab a strap
[Wiz Khalifa:]
Yeah that's it. Yeah! Uh. Where haven't we... Uh. Know the planes and the, Taylor Gang and the... haha. Uh.
[Verse 1:]
Fast cars with bad broads in 'em, I proceed to smoke these trees
And stuff piles of cheese in my 501 denim, where they bullshit begins I end them
And nope, I don't hear these niggas trippin'
Closing the cabin door and reving up all my engines
The weed is rolled, the drink is cold
It's new to you, to me it's old
C-E-O, these off brand niggas ain't really the future, Ms. Cleo
High when I approach, been known, to leave weed crumbs and trails of Sour D smoke
The irony, of suckas who predicted the planes land and know they wanna fly with me
I just let it boost my confidence, roll another joint, drop pilot shit. O-K.
[Chorus:]
This ain't the life that we chose, but it's the life that we living
Know we belong on the top, but we ain't trippin'. 'Cause we'll get there in a minute
And we'll get there in a minute, 'cause we'll get in there in a minute
Know we belong on the top but we ain't trippin'. 'Cause we'll get there in a minute.
[Verse 2:]
Ask me if I plan to be roof top chillin' with some pretty ass women, you'd be glad to meet
Trees stuffed in the passenger seat, charger to my phone, 'couple changes of clothes
And the OG told me all haters expose they self, so it's best to leave it alone
Pop the cork, put the tree in the bong
Been here for a minute you niggas just catchin' on
Master of the craft, I've grown
Haters trail the path, I've flown
It's obvious, suckas talk down but we ain't trippin'
Hoes fuck with us, say we different
At my hotel chillin', bad women come to fill my marijuana perscription
You niggas know the biz, it's Taylor Gang or kill him.
[Chorus:]
This ain't the life that we chose, but it's the life that we living
Know we belong on the top, but we ain't trippin'. 'Cause we'll get there in a minute
And we'll get there in a minute, 'cause we'll get in there in a minute
Dead lines from statement
melting bridges like acid
The blood is already stained
and it's all over me
Crooked smile,
Shadow of man,
I need to feel!
See their grief,
Hear them scream
I'll cut your ties
[cut your ties]
Deceiving your own reflection by covering the lies
Behind my eyes you're making me a friction
Abusing your own illusion by me
So let yourself go
Progress, is it so hard to try?
Delusion of faith
My wish to know, my wish to let go
This is my final goodbye
There's no way out of this when you're...
Deceiving your own reflection by covering the lies
Behind my eyes you're making me a friction
Abusing your own illusion by me
So let yourself go
"Six fuckin' car lengths!
That's a hundred and six fuckin' feet, mister!
If I had to stop suddenly, you woulda hit me!
And I want you to obey the the goddamn rules!
Fifty-fuckin' thousand people were killed on the
highway last year.
I want you to get a fuckin' driver's manual,
and I want you to study that motherfucker!"
One step further down
seems to be their only direction
One more fucker down
seems to be the only solution
Six feet deeper down
seems to be their only direction
One more fucker down