There’s no denying the power of “Denial.”

“Denial” is based on a true story about Holocaust denier David Irving (Timothy Sprall in a pivotal role of muted churlishness), who sued author and university professor Deborah E. Lipstadt (radiant Rachel Weisz in an Oscar nominee-worthy role) for libel.

The author’s publisher, Penguin Books, assembled a crack defense team led by barrister (Andrew Scott), who represented Lady Diana in her divorce case, and solictior (a focused Tom Wilkinson, possible supporting Oscar actor nominee).

Mick Jackson (“The Bodyguard,” 1992; primetime Emmy, directing, movie, “Temple Grandin,” 2010), directing from a screenplay by David Hare (“The Hours, 2002; “Plenty,” 1985) based on the book, “History on Trial: My Day in Court with a Holocaust Denier,” by Deborah Lipstadt, brings details to life: the court case presiding British judge (Alex Jennings), in Santa Claus-like red robes, white wig and glasses pouring over tea and biscuit in his chambers; British tabloid and TV news coverage of the trial, and the Royal Courts of Justice exterior and hallway, which resemble a gothic cathedral.

There are riveting courtroom scenes between Wilkinson (supporting actor Oscar nominee, “Michael Clayton,” 2007) and Spall (“Mr. Turner,” 2014). Deliberations of the Lipstadt team and pleas by Holocaust survivors to be called for testimony set up behind-the-scenes tension that informs the story of the court case, which began in 1994 and played out in 2000, but began much earlier, during World War II and before.

A visit to the Auschwitz-Birkenau Memorial and Museum is one of the key scenes with the characters played by Weisz and Wilkinson symbolizing disparate reactions to the legal strategy in what became a 32-day trial that produced a 334-page document.

Weisz (supporting actress Oscar, “The Constant Gardener,” 2005) provides the emotional center as a woman and a Jew who must check her emotions at the courtroom door. Weisz is heroic without histrionics, her face conveying emotion even when contemplative in one of 2016’s most compelling theatrical movie performances.

The psycho sexual subtext of the story is presented without fanfare. “I’m a woman and I’m a Jew,” Lipstadt explains as to why Irving targeted her.

“Denial” is one of the best courtroom dramas since, for example, “The Verdict” (1982), “Judgment at Nuremberg” (1961) and “Witness for the Prosecution” (1957). It’s relevant in the contentious world of social media, too, positing that “not all opinions are equal” and that when striving for the truth in the docket, you need “great lawyers with great passions.” Ultimately, “Denial” is a jubilant excoriation of antisemitism.

“Denial,”MPAA rated PG-13 (Parents Strongly Cautioned. Some Material May Be Inappropriate For Children Under 13.) for thematic material and brief strong language; Genre: Biography, Drama, History; Run time: 1 hr., 50 min.; Distributed by Bleecker Street Media.

Credit Readers Anonymous:The “Denial” score was composed by Howard Shore (“The Hobbit,” 2014, 2013, 2012).

Box Office,Oct. 21: “Boo! A Madea Halloween” scared up $27.6 million to open at No. 1, putting it out of reach of “Jack Reacher: Never Go Back,” starring Tom Cruise, opening at No. 2 with $23 million, and “Ouija: Origin of Evil,” opening at No. 3 with $14 million, pushing “The Accountant” from No. 1 to No. 4, with $14 million, $47.9 million, two weeks;

5. “The Girl on the Train,” $7.2 million, $58.9 million, three weeks; 6. “Miss Peregrine’s Home for Peculiar Children,” $6 million, $74.4 million, four weeks; 7. “Keeping Up with the Joneses,” $5.6 million, opening; 8. “Kevin Hart: What Now?,” $4.1 million, $18.9 million, two weeks: “Storks,” $4 million, $64.7 million, five weeks; 10. “Deepwater Horizon,” $3.6 million, $55.2 million, four weeks; 14. “Denial,” $972,940; $1.9 million, four weeks.

Unreel,Oct. 28:

“Inferno,”PG-13: Ron Howard returns to direct Tom Hanks, Ben Foster, Sidse Babett Knudsen and Felicity Jones in the latest thriller based on author Dan Brown’s best-selling “Da Vinci Code” Robert Langdon series.

“The Eagle Huntress,”G: Otto Bell directs the documentary about a Aisholpan, a 13-year-old nomadic Mongolian girl who want to become the first female eagle hunter in 12 generations of her Kazakh family.

“Gimme Danger,”R: Jim Jarmusch directs the documentary about the punk band, The Stooges, and its lead singer Iggy Pop and manager Danny Fields.

Four Popcorn Boxes out of Five Popcorn Boxes