German judicial drama, narrated in an entertaining way, about crimes of the past and when people do justice with their own hands, based on a best seller book.
What is the plot?
Hans Meyer receives a so-called journalist in his suite. Minutes later the man sits in the hotel lobby, with traces of blood. The journalist's apparent name is actually Fabrizzio Collini and he murdered Meyer. The young lawyer Casper Leinen, with months of graduation, is assigned as Collini's public defender, unaware that the victim is old Meyer, who had a close relationship with him, almost like a father. He was also the best friend of the grandson who died in an accident and had a brief affair with Johana, Meyer's granddaughter. The crimes of the past, the sins of war, will come to light during the Collini trial.
The film is an adaptation of a very successful novel. The Best Seller written by Ferdinand von Schirach, is a kind of atonement for the sins of the past. The author, who has written other internationally successful novels, is the grandson of Baldur von Schirach, a well-known Hitler Youth activist, who was tried at the Nuremberg trials and sentenced to twenty years in prison. In 67, when he was released, he wrote a book of his memoirs.
The German film uses many Hollywood-style dramatic tricks to highlight the adversities that the young idealist of the law must overcome in order to defend his client and get to the bottom of the truth.
It is a judicial drama, with an extensive trial, with the respective confrontations between the prosecutor and the defense lawyer. In order to make the conflict more intense, the protagonist will have to overcome lawyer Richard Mattinger, a prestigious lawyer, who was a professor at Leinen University. The student will have to overcome the professor.
The plot of an old man, who seems to be very good, but who was part of Nazism in the past, we have seen many times in Hollywood movies. It's a very interesting topic, discovering that an old man who is kind, with a family, careful with his children, with a successful life, hides a dark past, where he was a total monster, an accomplice to a genocide.
The story remains interesting, despite the classic style of the trial, is attractive for being a German film, with actors who are not seen very often. On the other hand, let it be the same Germans who go into that past, which for many years preferred not to address it, perhaps hoping that time would heal the wounds.
One of the themes of the film is how during the 1960s, many former Nazis who managed to free themselves and make a professional life, helped to create laws that would help other former members of Nazism, and could evade justice for their crimes.
German filmmaker Marco Kreuzpaintner directs the court drama. The filmmaker has ventured into various genres, directing comedies, dramas and even fantasy horror stories. He is 43 years old, so he is a young filmmaker, with enough talent to continue offering good productions. I only criticize the atmosphere of the film, with lighting that is too flat, too clean and sometimes too televised.
Austrian actor Elyas M'Barek plays defense lawyer Casper Leinen, who will defend Collini. The actor is well known in Germany, for his participation in numerous films and television series. He is a celebrity. I have not seen his previous work, I cannot give a general evaluation. He is a good actor, he is credible as that young idealist who wants the best for his client, even if he has to sacrifice his feelings for the victim's granddaughter.
Actress Alexandra Maria Lara plays Johana Meyer, the granddaughter of the rich old man who was murdered. The face may be familiar; she was one of the actresses in the extraordinary film Downfall, about the last days of Hitler. We also saw her in the movie Rush. German actor Heiner Lauterbach plays Prosecutor Mattinger, the veteran actor who does an excellent job as the story's antagonist.
To play Collini, they chose the great actor Franco Nero. Although his character does not have long dialogues, seeing him on the screen conveys all the pain the character deserves, a man tormented by suffering and who had to wait decades to execute justice with his own hands, since his previous attempts to do justice correctly were in vain.
I recommend this film to fans of judicial cinema, although it will also appeal to followers of cinema about Nazism.
My Ranking: 3.5/5
Trailer
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