Munich: The Edge of War

As Neville Chamberlain seeks to appease Hitler, two civil servants – and former friends – step up to the plate.

Jeremy Irons as Neville Chamberlain

For this adaptation of the bestselling novel by Robert Harris, the title extends beyond the short original which was Munich. That's useful twice over. It ensures that there is no confusion between this film and Steven Spielberg’s Munich (2005), while at the same time indicating that this new movie is dealing with earlier history than the killings at the 1972 Olympics. Instead, it is set in 1938 and Britain's prime minister, Neville Chamberlain, is flying to Munich hoping that his negotiations with Hitler will yield what he would famously describe as peace for our time. But, if Munich - The Edge of War is indeed centred on these negotiations, it should nevertheless be noted that the statement in the film’s end credits about its historical basis is qualified even more than usual: there you will find an acknowledgement that the dramatisation extends to the situations, the dialogue and the characters.

In truth, this film, directed by Christian Schwochow, is a cross between a spy thriller and an adventure story. It takes as its central figures two young men, namely Hugh Legat (George MacKay) and Paul von Hartman (Jannis Niewöhner), who are both at Oxford University in 1932 and become friends.  However, Hugh is English and Paul is German. A while later it emerges that Paul, now back in his own country, is supportive of Hitler and their friendship is accordingly sundered. However, by 1938 the two young men are acting in league. Paul has recanted and is now working with others in Germany who are opposed to Hitler. He is part of a group hoping that a crisis will arise naturally which would enable them to bring him down but, failing that, they are planning to assassinate him. Hugh has become a civil servant and in his capacity as private secretary to Chamberlain (Jeremy Irons) he is travelling with him to Munich. Everything now turns on the fact that Paul has obtained written evidence of Hitler's true intentions and plans to get these papers to Chamberlain through Hugh. The hope is that the document will prevent Chamberlain from settling for a joint declaration that would appear to avert war but which Hitler would have no intention of keeping.

Munich - The Edge of War is a film with a strong cast - even some of the smaller roles are taken by well-established German actors. The players thus involved include Sandra Hüller, August Diehl and Ulric Matthes (the latter as Hitler). However, the one actor who gets a role of some weight here is Jeremy Irons and he proves very effective as Neville Chamberlain aided by the fact that this film unexpectedly gives us a more sympathetic view of a man usually simply disdained and condemned for his attempts at appeasement. The leading actors here are George MacKay and Jannis Niewöhner but, even if we are rooting for Hugh and Paul, their roles lack any real depth (just consider what MacKay is given to work on here compared with the opportunities that he had in 1917).

As for the director, Christian Schwochow is well established in Germany and he does keep this film moving. On the other hand, there are times, especially in the early scenes, where he opts for much camera movement and fast editing which distract instead of drawing one in when, as here, the film is in the ’Scope format. The writing too is often weak, be it in the unconvincing portrayal of Hugh’s troubled marriage or in the clumsy introduction of a Jewish girl into the tale to spell out the extreme antisemitism embraced by Hitler. In addition, plenty of scenes are far-fetched and the cast come over as superior to their material throughout. Admittedly, the two hours plus of the film pass reasonably quickly but, passable though it is as a whole, there is nothing here to render the film memorable.

MANSEL STIMPSON

Cast: George MacKay, Jannis Niewöhner, Jeremy Irons, Robert Bathurst, Jessica Brown Findlay, August Diehl, Sandra Hüller, Alex Jennings, Ulrich Matthes, Liv Lisa Fries, Abigail Cruttenden, Nicholas Farrell, Martin Kiefer, Mark Lewis Jones, Anjli Mohindra, Richard Dillane.

Dir Christian Schwochow, Pro Andrew Eaton, Screenplay Ben Power from the novel by Robert Harris, Ph Frank Lamm, Pro Des Tim Pannen, Ed Jens Klüber, Music Isobel Waller-Bridge, Costumes Frauke Firi, Sound Rainer Heesch.

Turbine Studios/Netflix-Netflix.
129 mins. UK/Germany/USA. 2021. US Rel: 6 January 2022. UK Rel: 7 January 2022. Cert. 12A.