PLOT: In 1938, a British civil servant and a German diplomat cross paths in Munich, Germany and conspire to prevent war in Europe at the hands of Adolf Hitler and the Nazis.
REVIEW: The unending plethora of historical biopics and war films have proved that simply because you know the outcome of something, doesn’t mean you can’t make a riveting cinematic experience. Conversely, tackling the past can very easily trap you in a middling trip back in time that hardly feels worthwhile or justified. The latest entry in the World War II pantheon, Munich: The Edge of War, falls somewhere in between as an at-times-riveting spy thriller centered on an early event before the start of the war, and also an exercise in futility that can’t quite make the material all that thrilling.
As the clunky title that could easily fit with a bargain bin Bruce Willis action flick suggests, Munich (based on Robert Harris’ novel) centers on the signing of the Munich Agreement in 1938. The agreement ceded the Sudetenland region of Czechoslovakia to Germany, with the desire of British Prime Minister Neville Chamberlain (Jeremy Irons) being that would be enough to stop Adolf Hitler and Germany from going to war with Europe. Of course, we future humans know how that went. But being the obvious monster Hitler was from the get-go, the movie’s fictional end of the narrative centers on two behind-the-scenes players – Chamberlain secretary Hugh Legat (George McKay) and German diplomat Paul von Hartmann (Jannis Niewöhner) – doing what they can to stop the move, coming into possession of knowledge that Hitler was just going to do Hitler anyway after the agreement was signed.
Using a pivotal moment of the 20th century as the basis for a spy-thriller a la a John Le Carre-esque story, the screenplay that focuses on the key players from Ben Power and taut direction from Christian Schwochow skirt the obvious ending by mining tension out of what mild hope you have for Legat and von Hartmann. Properly knowing Hitler has no intention of halting his plans for German dominance, the two men bring individual levels of passion and terror to try and stop what they feel is a pointless move from Chamberlain, and try to get him info about the former’s real plans. Fit against the backdrop of some great period detail and some kinetic editing, classic thrills come from a mixture of backroom politics and that feeling of wanting so much to see Legat and von Hartmann make grounds that could make the difference in bringing monstrosity to its true light, and then getting those in power properly prepared for what’s coming. For a movie with a real-life ending the world will never forget, there’s an admirable effort being made to bring some unique thrills that may come as unexpected to anyone expecting a typical political history drama.
The only roadblocks hit, perhaps unavoidable so, come from the fact that history itself robs the narrative and thrills of true impact and emotional resonance. There’s no mystery to uncover, plots to unravel, and outcomes to shock. The results are suspenseful scenes that work because of the strength of the acting and the pacing, but not because there’s that armrest-clutching sensation that comes from being gripped by the prospect of anything being able to happen next. Additionally, because the stakes are so high from the jump, the needed blend of escalating tension as more and more unfolds simply isn’t there. Yes, it’s easy to hop on board thanks to the strength of the central figures and their mission, but because we know where their efforts will take them (and perhaps how fruitless said efforts may seem), it’s hard to feel taken on a fully thrilling ride.
But, again, it’s hard not to be mostly immersed thanks to the fact the main cast is so good. McKay, continuing to become one of the more reliable leading men to come out of the last few years, weaves complexity into the least interesting of the characters. Legat, so anxious to get on Chamberlain’s good, has the presence of a young diplomat trying to earn his marks, no matter how invasive that may make him look. I found it hard to connect with him at the start, but in the final half, McKay is able to work in the moral dilemma that comes from having to get honest with a man he admires, while also trying to trust that Chamberlain knows what he’s doing. On the other end, Niewöhner’s von Hartmann is the more immediately compelling of the two. Once a good friend of Legat, his firm support of Hitler led to a rift between the two. Now, years later, von Hartmann is questioning his entire life and role supporting this monster, and once a strong advocate is now the most desperate to see him taken down. Niewöhner gets the most room to bring an emboldened, passionate stance to the movie, and walks away the movie’s brightest star.
Irons brings to Chamberlain the man history has mostly written him as; a man who, so desperate for peace, perhaps underestimated Hitler but was perhaps a savvy enough politician to simply realize that all he could do was buy Great Britain time to get ready for what was to come. Iron’s Chamberlain can, at times, seem almost naive with his mission of peace, but Irons blends in confidence that brings out a man who perhaps knows this is the only way any of this can go. Other veterans include Ulrich Matthes as Hitler (after once playing Joseph Goebbels in the incredible Downfall) and August Diehl once again crushing the role of a nasty Gestapo man, Franz Sauer, after leaving a lasting impression in Inglorious Basterds.
Ultimately, its message of hope in the face of impending doom is certainly present, and you wish there are people still like our two leads working behind the scenes to stop tyrannical leaders of today from being able to enact their worst deeds. And yet, like some other elements of the movie, that message can have a dulled impact, knowing how futile the acts of Legat and von Hartmann appear to be. As a thriller set against the backdrop of such a key moment of pre-WWII Europe, Munich: The Edge of War is part riveting thriller, part solid character drama, and part the kind of ordinary historical dramatization that makes you wish it nailed the first two bits a little harder. Handsomely crafted and excellently performed, there’s plenty to it that makes for a fine historical outing, but not quite enough to make it a strong outlier in a very crowded field.