Munich: The Edge of War

Munich: The Edge of War

At the tense 1938 Munich Conference, former friends who now work for opposing governments become reluctant spies racing to expose a Nazi secret.

  • Released: 2022-01-06
  • Runtime: 129 minutes
  • Genre: Drama, History, Thrillers
  • Stars: George MacKay, Jannis Niewöhner, Liv Lisa Fries, Sandra Hüller, Jeremy Irons, Martin Wuttke, August Diehl, Martin Kiefer, Robert Bathurst, Marc Limpach, Erin Doherty, Ulrich Matthes, Mark Lewis Jones, Alex Jennings, Jessica Brown Findlay, Anjli Mohindra, Oscar Hoppe, Jeremy Mockridge, Hannes Wegener, Nick Wymer, Raphael Sowole, Ludwig Simon, Nellie Thalbach, Aidan Hennessey, Nicholas Farrell, Tara Nome Doyle, Rainer Sellien, Abigail Cruttenden, Helen Clyro, Nicholas Shaw, Richard Dillane, Domenico Fortunato, Stéphane Boucher, Leni Erceg, Margit Bendokat, Ryan Wichert
  • Director: Christian Schwochow
 Comments
  • brsger - 7 January 2024
    Mixed bag.
    I'll make it short.

    Technically speaking, excellent.

    Great sound, even better look! The costume and set designs are absolutely phenomenal!

    Sometimes overly edited. Really no need for that.

    The plot is meh.

    It's fictionalised history, of course.

    But just really not as intriguing as it tries to be.

    Some moral statements are so over the top that it's blatantly annoying.

    Sometimes a little more backstory would have done the characters good.

    Acting wise: MacKay is excellent.

    Irons is doing a good job as well.

    Now, as a German watching this in the original Version, aka mostly English, I'm utterly disappointed by the fellow German actors.

    Niewöhner can not carry the depth and emotional sincerity he tries to convey.

    Diehl is a triumph. As always. I could watch him play Nazis all day. What an expressive face.

    But.

    However tried to portray Hitler is joking.

    This HAS to be satire.

    I have never ever seen such a ridiculous portrayal of ANY character, ever.

    It gets just a liiiittle bit better in his confrontation with Niewöhner, but overall, absolutely ludicrous.

    How are people supposed to take this seriously?

    Feel threatened?

    He tries to get the dialect right at least partially right.

    But he looks NOTHING like the part.

    It seems he wears some ridiculous contact lenses.

    His dialogue and overacting is a shame. Nothing more to add here.

    Fries is nearly as worse.

    So, so bad.

    Wish they cut her character entirely.

    Legat's wife is pretty good. So is Niewöhner's character's "partner".

    Overall, the film comes to a rather nice ending. Some good scenes, finally some emotional impact. Accompanied by a fitting score.

    And it's just so beautiful to look at.

    Great cinematography, set design and overall look.

    AND FINALLY SOME ACCURATE REPRESENTATION OF LANGUAGE. Also, impressed by MacKay's German. Not too shabby.

    Would love to give it more than a 5/10.

    But the thin plot, some horrendous acting and the overall tone is just not worthy of more.
  • TaylorYee94 - 28 January 2023
    This movie is so much more about than Chamberlain
    Many reviews complain about historical inaccuracy, but audience is not dumb enough to change thier view of a historical figure just because of this one film. It is obvious that 'Munich - The Edge of War' is mere 'what if scenario' or 'what might have been behind the scenes'. Other than Chamberlain, the movie deals with realistic and honest portrayal of an educated German youth in 1930s: how easily Paul or young Germans at that time can be moved by a fanatic under hopelessness and desolation. Hitler was their hope, and 'sometimes it's better off without it'. Thrown at the times they live in, Hugh, Paul and Lena had to go through drastic changes in their lives. How the movie started is so personal and intimate, and it's heartbreaking to observe their personal lives and relationship are destroyed in the most depressing phase of time.

    Content-wise, this film is wonderful. How the director wraps that content - form - is skilled as well. I love the aesthetics, color, and the style of the movie. It maintains grey and cool colors and tones, giving cold and mysterious vibe. Some movies with grey palette with the purpose of conveying depressing atmosphere tends to be foggy and blurry, but 'Munich' decides to keep the brightness and clarity high so it does not lose dynamics and vitality while delivering gloomy and heavy atmosphere. The only time the color pops is red Nazi flag, making audience more frightening than usual. The editing is complementary to the story. It cuts fast, and the angle is narrow and tight; therefore, it lives up to be a thriller movie. AND performance of all actors are phenomenal. Contrast of character's personality, hugh being more calm and aloof and Paul being more passionate and impetuous, is delightly presented by MacKay and Niewöhner with sophistication and talent.