Daniel Evans
Less spy thriller and more a focus on the pre-WW2 policy of appeasement, Munich: The Edge of War certainly deals with its subject matter with the depth and complexity that is required. Daniel Evans reviews.
the thriller elements of the film are certainly its weakest
Although the central characters played by George Mackay and Jannis Niewöhner take up most of the screen time, I could not help but feel that the true focus of the film was on Jeremy Irons as Neville Chamberlain. The central theme of the film is on the morality of the Munich agreement and Chamberlain’s desire for peace above all else. The thriller section is mostly incidental and feels like it is only there to attract a wider audience.
The thriller elements of the film are certainly its weakest and there is nothing of note either positive or negative to say. There was also an issue with some of the central characters, as aside from Niewöhner’s Paul Von Hartmann there was a general lack of development and depth.
The film certainly ticks boxes and delivers on the central premise and there are also moments of genuine poignancy. I was also pleased to see that the German actors spoke German, as the performances felt far more genuine for this reason.
not particularly adventurous stylistically
Overall, I can’t say that I didn’t like the film. I was not bored and if this genre interests you then I would recommend giving it a watch. However, beyond this I cannot say much else. It was not particularly adventurous stylistically and it felt as though the thriller elements were used as a vehicle and as a result were neglected. The sense of the film being caught between several competing themes didn’t make it incoherent, but it did make it less concise than it could have been.
Daniel Evans
Featured image courtesy of Alex Watkin. Permission to use granted to Impact. No changes were made to this image.
In-article image courtesy of @ortakoltuk via @instagram.com. No changes were made to this image.
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