Munich – The Edge of War

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Munich – The Edge of War
Munich edge of war poster.jpg
Promotional poster
Directed byChristian Schwochow
Screenplay byBen Power
Based onMunich
by Robert Harris
Produced byAndrew Eaton
Starring
CinematographyFrank Lamm
Edited byJens Klüber
Music byIsobel Waller-Bridge
Production
company
Turbine Studios
Distributed byNetflix
Release dates
  • 13 October 2021 (2021-10-13) (BFI)
  • 21 January 2022 (2022-01-21)
Running time
131 minutes[1]
CountriesUnited Kingdom, Germany[2]
LanguagesEnglish
German

Munich – The Edge of War is a 2021 German/British drama film, directed by Christian Schwochow, from a screenplay by Ben Power. It is based upon the 2017 novel Munich by Robert Harris. The film stars Jeremy Irons, George MacKay and Jannis Niewöhner.

The film premiered at the BFI London Film Festival on 13 October 2021.[2] Netflix gave it a limited US theatrical release on 14 January 2022, before its streaming release on 21 January 2022.[3][4]

Plot[]

In 1932, friends Hugh Legat, Paul von Hartmann and his girlfriend Lena celebrate their graduation from Oxford University. Hartmann insists they visit him in Munich to experience the "New Germany".

Six years later, Legat works as British Prime Minister Neville Chamberlain's secretary as Europe is on the brink of war. Chamberlain strives to obtain peace with Adolf Hitler at any cost, even if that means allowing Germany to seize control of the Sudetenland from Britain's ally Czechoslovakia. Chamberlain writes to Benito Mussolini in an effort to halt military action; it seemingly works and Hitler agrees, inviting Chamberlain and French Prime Minister Édouard Daladier to Munich for a conference.

Hartmann meanwhile works as a translator in the Foreign Office in Berlin while secretly plotting with a Wehrmacht general in an effort to overthrow Hitler if top army officials agree to arrest him and seize control. The general believes this cannot be accomplished unless Hitler is allowed to invade the Sudetenland, while Hartmann doubts the collective resolve of the generals. Hartmann is given a stolen document by his lover, Helen Winter, that indicates Hitler intends to conquer Europe. Hartmann and the others reconvene and agree that getting the information to Chamberlain while he is in Munich is their best option; Hartmann reveals he has a trusted former classmate, Legat, who can likely help. Legat is approached by Sir Alexander Cadogan and a top MI6 official regarding the document in Hartmann's possession and agrees to help obtain it despite the dangers associated with espionage. Legat convinces Chamberlain to bring him along to Munich under the guise of being a translator. Hartmann boards Hitler's train to Munich and hides the document and a pistol in the bathroom, soon discovering his roommate is a childhood friend named Franz Sauer, who has become a Schutzstaffel officer. Sauer becomes suspicious of Hartmann, who catches him rummaging through his suitcase. Hartmann meets with Hitler, who chastises him for his Oxford education.

In Munich, Legat and Hartmann reunite, a flashback reveals they had a falling out in 1932 after a heated verbal argument related to Hartmann's then-support of the Nazi Party. Legat agrees to take possession of the document, but insists Hartmann himself present the argument to Chamberlain that he should not sign the Munich Agreement. Legat and Hartmann meet with Chamberlain, who scoffs at the idea of not signing the agreement based on vague German military plans for a coup d'état and refuses to take action. Hartmann takes Legat to a local nursing home to see Lena, revealing that in 1935 she attended an anti-Nazi rally, only to have a Star of David carved in her back and thrown from a window after she was found to be Jewish, resulting in paralysis and an inability to speak. Hartmann reveals he intends to assassinate Hitler, much to Legat's dismay. When Legat returns to his hotel, he finds his room has been ransacked by Sauer, who attacks him. Legat discovers the document is gone and panics, but he is able to get a discreet message to Hartmann informing him. Hartmann meets with Hitler but cannot bring himself to shoot him.

As Legat enters the car bound for the airport, typist Joan Menzies reveals she is the niece of a British army colonel, and that she took possession of the document to prevent Sauer from finding it. Chamberlain returns to Britain and gives his famous Peace for our time speech. Legat returns home to his wife and son, revealing that he plans to quit his job and join the RAF. The Munich Agreement ultimately fails and World War II begins. Chamberlain resigns several months later, dying soon after, but Britain has had more time to prepare for the war.

Cast[]

Production[]

In November 2020, it was announced Jeremy Irons, George MacKay, Jannis Niewöhner, Sandra Hüller, Liv Lisa Fries and August Diehl had joined the cast of the film, with Christian Schwochow directing the film, from a screenplay by Ben Power, based upon the novel of the same name by Robert Harris, with Netflix set to distribute.[5]

Principal photography began in October 2020 and ended in December 2020.[6][7] Filming took place in Berlin, Potsdam, Munich[8] and Liverpool.[9] The working title was Munich 38.

Reception[]

On the review aggregator website Rotten Tomatoes, 86% of 74 critics' reviews are positive, with an average rating of 6.7/10. The website's consensus reads, "Sharp direction and some outstanding performances make Munich: The Edge of War a gripping historical drama, even though the ending's no secret."[10] Metacritic, which uses a weighted average, assigned the film a score of 53 out of 100 based on 20 critics, indicating "mixed or average reviews".[11]

References[]

  1. ^ "Watch Munich – The Edge of War". Netflix. Archived from the original on 13 January 2022. Retrieved 25 January 2022.
  2. ^ a b "Buy tickets for Munich – The Edge of Darkness". BFI London Film Festival 2021. British Film Institute. Archived from the original on 12 October 2021. Retrieved 25 January 2022.
  3. ^ Moore, Kasey (21 October 2021). "Netflix Originals Coming to Netflix in January 2022". What's on Netflix. Archived from the original on 21 October 2021. Retrieved 21 October 2021.
  4. ^ "Netflix's 'Munich – The Edge of War': January 2022 Release Date & Everything We Know So Far". What's on Netflix. 13 October 2021.
  5. ^ Grater, Tom (3 November 2020). "Jeremy Irons, George McKay Starring In Robert Harris Adaptation 'Munich' For Netflix". Deadline Hollywood. Retrieved 4 November 2020.
  6. ^ Ramachandran, Naman (4 November 2020). "Jeremy Irons to Headline Netflix Adaptation of Robert Harris Bestseller 'Munich'". Variety. Retrieved 4 November 2020.
  7. ^ "Crew united – The Edge of War, Working title Munich 38". Retrieved 13 January 2022.
  8. ^ "Mitten in der Münchner City Netflix dreht große Produktion in der Stadt – mit echter Star-Besetzung". Tageszeitung Munich. 23 November 2020.
  9. ^ "Munich: The Edge of War - Made in Liverpool". 22 December 2022.
  10. ^ "Munich: The Edge of War". Rotten Tomatoes. Fandango Media. Retrieved 22 January 2022.
  11. ^ "Munich: The Edge of War". Metacritic. Red Ventures. Retrieved 12 January 2022.

External links[]

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