Stometer Save your money for something good and enjoyable

Odelecol Pretty good movie overall. First half was nothing special but it got better as it went along.

ThedevilChoose When a movie has you begging for it to end not even half way through it's pure crap. We've all seen this movie and this characters millions of times, nothing new in it. Don't waste your time.

Sarita Rafferty There are moments that feel comical, some horrific, and some downright inspiring but the tonal shifts hardly matter as the end results come to a film that's perfect for this time.

blanche-2 "The People vs. Fritz Bauer" is the story of one man's determination to bring Adolf Eichmann to Germany for trial, and the opposition to it that he faced.Fritz Bauer was a district attorney in Hessen, Germany, and the story begins really toward the end of his life. He is shown drowning in his bathtub at the beginning, but he is saved. In reality, that is how he died in 1968. Bauer was a man who did what he had to do in order to achieve his ends, and the movie makes no bones about it. He keeps quiet about the fact that he is Jewish because of his determination to enter politics. And he commits treason in order to bring Eichmann to justice. His part in that capture was not made public until 10 years after his death.Unfortunately for Bauer, in 1957, the government was filled with ex- Nazis and SS officers who didn't want these monsters tried and naming names. There was a lot of resistance and anti-Semitism. When Bauer learns that Eichmann is living in Argentina, he has to appeal to Massad for help - a treasonous offense if anyone found out.There is a subplot concerning his young associate, State Attorney Angermann, a fictional character.Very good movie, with wonderful acting by Burghart Klaußner as Bauer and Ronald Zehrfeld as Angermann.

MartinHafer "The People vs. Fritz Bauer" is an interesting film about a mostly forgotten piece of history. It seems that the Attorney General for Hesse (one of the most populous of the German states), Fritz Bauer, learned about the whereabouts of one of the most infamous Nazis in the post-war era. Yet, inexplicably, the folks in the government had very little interest in finding this man, as he could expose many in the Adenaur government who had Nazi ties--something that could prove embarrassing. So Bauer approached the Israelis with the information and ultimately the Nazi scum-bag was caught.What makes this film so interesting is the ambivalence towards Eichmann in Germany. Instead, the Federal Police seem much more interested in prosecuting homosexuals and preventing Eichmann's capture! Overall, a very interesting portrait of a bygone day. While I knew a lot about the Eichmann capture already, I didn't realize that they might have never found him if it wasn't for Bauer- -and that the Germans themselves couldn't have cared less! Very well made and well worth seeing.By the way, if you enjoy this film I also recommend you watch another exceptional German movie, "The Nasty Girl". It, too, discusses the German people and their ambivalence about confronting their Nazi past.

kosmasp That's metaphorically and literally speaking of course. One might also add that it can be a pun too. But while my summary line is definitely on the light side, the movie is not. And it couldn't be with the story it wants to tell. Germany has an obvious history with Nazis and the subsequent hunt for them. Or sometimes neglect in hunting them down for various reasons.This movie shows one of many cases and one man who was determined to bring as many to justice as possible. Despite and through all obstacles that were before him. So this is a story (thriller) that has quite a bit going for it. It's really well made and well acted too and the suspense is there, from the start until the end. There's also a lot of award talking going on about this, if that is something you're interested in

Horst in Translation (filmreviews@web.de) There has been a lot of talk about the German movie "Labyrinth of Lies" recently as this one starring Alexander Fehling was chosen as Germany's official submission to the next Academy Awards and I have seen that one almost a year ago. It was a decent film dealing with a prosecutor who attempts to bring former high rank Nazi official to their responsibility and have them tried in course. Now this is a very similar plot compared to "The People vs. Fritz Bauer" with one major difference. Bauer is near the end of his career/life apparently, while Fehling's character is a rising star. You could even say that with the bathtub scene early in this film here, the protagonist could very well have died before the film even began.Yet there is another difference, namely that "The People vs. Fritz Bauer" is the far far superior movie. I must say that these 105 minutes were an amazing watch and it shows that Germany can not only produce excellent films about legal issues, but also that it is still very much possibly to come up with a convincing plot on the whole Nazi issue that has been done so many times in movies. The main reason here is possibly Lars Kraume's excellent script and direction. The Italian-born filmmaker has made movies for 20 years now and experience pays off. I must say I was not really familiar with the name, maybe because he worked a lot on television in recent years, but he certainly won me over.Another reason for this film's success is Burghart Klaußner. Is there anything that needs to be said about him? I don't think so. He has been among the most consistent German actors for years and I am not scared to say that he is generally among the best actors currently working. You may have seen him in works like "Das weiße Band", "Requiem", "The Edukators" or "Goodbye Lenin". His Fritz Bauer is certainly on par, if not better, compared to these performances. I may be biased as I have loved him as an actor for years, but he really is that great in my opinion and it would be nice to see him get some awards recognition for his turn here. Definitely a good bet at the German Film Awards next year. Same can be said about Ronald Zehrfeld who has slowly, but steadily entered into Germany's acting elite over the last couple years. He plays a role stuck between co-lead and supporting and adds a lot to the movie as well thanks to his good range and great chemistry with Klaußner. He sure holds his own here. Finally lets not forget the supporting actors, who also deliver and make the most out of what they are given, especially Sebastian Blomberg being one of the main antagonists in here.I thought the film's script is absolutely outstanding. It manages to be politically interesting and relevant without going too much into detail and becoming boring this way. We not only find out about the characters in terms of their professions, but also about their private lives (or lack thereof). And last but not least, the movie even manages to be pretty funny on several occasions, like the socks reference or the talk about what a perfect marriage looks like. An excellent lead performance that results in everything you could ask for in a mix of drama and political thriller that still manages to put a smile on your lips on several occasions. You really don't get all this very often these days. Do not miss out and watch it if you can. Deserves all the accolades it hopefully gets. Highly recommended.