In 1938, German Fuhrer Adolf Hitler laid claim on the Sudetenland area of Czechoslovakia, which raised serious concerns about peace and order in Europe. German diplomat Paul von Hartman (Jannis Niewohner) was part of an anti-Hitler resistance movement within Germany. When he gained possession of a damning transcript about Hitler's megalomaniacal plans of world domination, he knew he had to do something.
Paul's close friend at Oxford, Hugh Legat (George Mackay) worked as the personal secretary of British Prime Minister Neville Chamberlain (Jeremy Irons). Still traumatized by the tragedies experienced in the recent Great War (World War I), Chamberlain was pushing for his agenda to maintain peace, so he was elated when Hitler agreed to meet him, along with PM Mussolini of Italy and PM Daladier of France, in Munich to resolve their issues.
When we watch a film about World War 2 like "Schindler's List" (1993) or "Saving Private Ryan" (1998), it is usually about the war when the hostilities were already ongoing. It is a uncommon to encounter a film that centered on the unstable state of peace in Europe right at the brink of World War 2. It was interesting to learn that there were indeed efforts to arrest Hitler's heinous plans before they went on any further, albeit fictionalized in this case.
Of course, Jeremy Irons owned the screen every time Chamberlain was on. He played the amiable British PM with natural dignity and noble idealism, as the film explained what was going on in his mind when he sought for that extra signed document assuring peace with Hitler. In reality, this was a source of derision for Chamberlain, as it seemed that he was willingly deceived by Hitler, but he was portrayed in a very positive light here.
The scene when Paul and Hugh arguing loudly about Hitler in a crowded Germans bar was too melodramatic. The scene when Paul "secretly" met Hugh to slip him secret papers while seated beside German officers was too unbelievable. But overall, the story was very well-told by German director Christian Schwochow with careful attention to period details in the production design. It will make you want to read more about this moment in history. 7/10.
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