Driving by his deep will of getting rid of the abusive and oppression he has under the ruling of Hitler, Georg Elser, a young courageous guy, plants a bomb during the speech of Hitler, but when he leaves 13 minutes earlier, his plan is ruined and is arrested.
Jumping around in time just a shade too much in the midsection, Hirschbiegel's film nevertheless proves a compelling historical drama.
New Zealand Herald
May 04, 2016
History robs the film of suspense potential, of course... What remains reads like a noble, but slightly worthy, attempt to disinter the reputation of a man largely forgotten in Germany until the publication of a 1999 biography.
As with countless films set in the period, the absence of subtlety combined with predictable dollops of sentimentalism once again trivialize events in the name of making them understandable.
The movie is an effective and frightening study of how a country can collapse morally and socially without its citizens realizing what is happening. [Full review in Portuguese.]
Straightforward and fortuitously timed bio-drama of a nearly forgotten German who tried to assassinate his country's fascist dictator at the beginning of World War II.