Movie Review: Truth and Treason

 

Michael's Movie Grade: B

A very well made but familiar World War 2 movie. 

There have been many movies lately about individuals standing up against the Nazi Regime in Germany. Perhaps this is because in today's politically heated climate, the message of standing up to the evils around you is incredibly timely. It is also safer to tell these stories than ones involved directly in today's political climate. This is especially true since most sides of the political spectrum (except for those dangerous amoral extremists who actually wave around Nazi flags), will believe the modern equivalent of the Nazis to be people on a different side of the political spectrum.

Talking about being safe, safety is the main flaw of this film. This movie does nothing that the countless similar films haven't done already. It does all these elements quite well, but its familiarity makes it simply blend in with the many similar movies. Because of this, you are not likely to remember much about this movie in the future and if you do, you will probably get it confused with a different film.

Despite this the movie is very well made. The emotional moments hit quite hard and some of the tense scenes feel almost unbearable. Even the romance (something that often feels forced into these films), is quite effective and touching. However, the heart of this film lies with the characters and the cast. We automatically like and care about these characters. Even more than this we respect their bravery and how strongly they stand for what they believe in. The cast is uniformly excellent. Ewan Horrocks is especially compelling in the main role.