Inspired loosely by true events, “Holy Rollers” is an interesting drama film. It features great performance from the very talented Jesse Eisenberg (“Adventureland”, “The Social Network”), who sadly does not always get to be a film that suits his abilities. This movie gives us a great look into a strictly religious lifestyle and how easy it is to be pulled into the criminal world.

Set in 1998, we follow the life of Sam Gold (Eisenberg), a young Hasidic Jew in Brooklyn. He is devout and naïve but fears that his financial situation is preventing him from getting married. After speaking to his friend Yosef (Justin Bartha “Gigli”), he accepts a job to travel to Europe to pick up some ‘medicine’. Soon he realises that he has become a drug courier and his Jewish appearance allows him to slip through security.

Jesse Eisenberg does a really wonderfully job. We really get the sense that Sam is becoming increasingly torn between his religiously observant lifestyle and the secular criminal world. The conversations he has with his father (Mark Ivanir “Schindler’s List”) are sometimes very moving. The other cast members do a good job as well. However, the focus really is on Jesse Eisenberg.

Supposedly, Hasidic Jews from Brooklyn smuggled over a million ecstasy pills into the United States. They were able to do this because they looked so different from the security services’ drug courier profiles. As I mentioned earlier, the film gives us a great insight into the life of a young Orthodox Jew. In fact, “Holy Rollers” is so brimming with Jewish culture that it outdoes “Fiddler On The Roof” in that respect. It’s not incredible or anything like that but I really do not have any complaints about this film so I strongly recommend you check out “Holy Rollers”.