"The Grey Zone" reveals the hellish tale of the Sonderkommandos, Jewish prisoners at Auschwitz who made the conscious-tormenting decision to work in the gas chambers and crematoriums in exchange for 16 more weeks of life.

Named after a chapter in Primo Levi's memoir "The Drowned and the Saved," this film focuses on the true story of the 12th group of Sonderkommandos (there were thirteen groups total) who planned and executed a revolt which destroyed two crematoriums, neither of which were ever rebuilt.

Writer and director Tim Blake Nelson had good intentions with this painful film. He claims to have written the screenplay after learning about the Sonderkommandos and realizing that, under different circumstances, he could have been the one scrubbing blood and excrement off the walls of the gas chambers.

But the problem with this film is that Nelson so obviously wasn't in Auschwitz. Instead, it's 60 years later, and he's in Hollywood.

Despite Nelson's genuine efforts, "The Grey Zone" doesn't begin to convey the colossal suffering. Yes, this film shows us some horrible things: truckloads of dead bodies being carted to the crematorium, the naked Jews' final seconds inside the gas chambers and forms of torture so inhumane you might need to look away.

But despite the recreated horror, there are too many inaccurate and therefore distracting details, like well-fed actors playing half-starved prisoners, bad accents (Steve Buscemi's German character with a native Brooklyn tongue is laughable) and most of all, actors that are entirely too famous and attractive for these roles, namely David Arquette and Mira Sorvino.

Although these big names are necessary to create a blockbuster film, and both of the actors mentioned do a pretty good job overall, there's still something about them that isn't quite believable. It's not only the fact Arquette is forever Dewey from the "Scream" films, but both Arquette and Sorvino have a "rich kids dressed in poor kids' clothing" appearance.

However, Allan Corduner, a Jewish doctor working for Dr. Mengele, is stellar. His moral dilemma is believable, and his character is never sentimentalized, unlike many of the female characters. Harvey Keitel is also surprisingly believable.

The bottom line is this: Any holocaust movie created in Hollywood is doomed to be overdramatized and potentially insulting. Although "The Grey Zone" is terrifying, it's simply not terrifying enough. Many of us said it after "Schindler's List," but we'll say it again: Enough's enough, Hollywood.

"The Grey Zone" is out on DVD.