Based on the true story of a Nazi counterfeiting operation (Operation Bernhard) run out of the Sachsenhausen concentration camp during WWII, this Oscar winning German film, like many Holocaust stories, is a devastating experience but ultimately a very rewarding one. Karl Markovics stars as Salomon "Sally" Sorowitsch, a top notch Jewish counterfeiter operating in Berlin who finds himself suddenly struggling to survive as a prisoner of the Nazis. Sorowitsch is quickly transferred to the Sachsenhausen camp to oversee a covert counterfeiting scheme by which the Nazis hope to wreck havoc on the financial stability of the allies. A small group of prisoners, chosen for their specific skills relating to the task at hand, are charged with turning out counterfeit pounds and dollars in exchange for better living conditions (including "softer" beds, occasional showers and even a ping pong table). Among the group is idealistic Adolf Burger (played by August Diehl), Kolya Karloff, a sweet young Russian from Odessa (Sebastian Urzendowsky) and the caring but powerless Dr. Klinger (August Zirner). When Burger decides to resist his role in aiding and abetting the success of the Nazis by deliberately sabotaging the counterfeiting operation, the group of prisoners begins to implode with a deadline of four weeks in which to come up with a reliable counterfeit U.S. dollar or face execution.
It's easy to see why this film was awarded Best Foreign Film of 2007 by the Academy. Although we've seen many Holocaust stories, there are several moral dilemmas addressed here for which easy answers cannot be found. Is it more important to resist complicity with evil at the risk of death, to save those individuals you can, or to simply survive at any cost? The characters slowly reveal themselves with many conflicted ideals and approaches to their situation, giving the audience a very personal view of the Holocaust's terrible toll. Performances and casting are excellent all around, including Devid Striesow as Herzog, a Nazi commander who believes he is doing his best to give these prisoners more "humane" treatment and Markovics in the lead role.
Things to love about this movie: No easy answers; subtle approach to the horrors of concentration camp life; a real sense of anger; outstanding performances
Things to hate about this movie: The fact that it's true is almost incomprehensible
Pleasant surprises: Many provocative issues that are not always included in Holocaust movies are raised here; a couple of cool scenes at Monte Carlo to begin and end the film
Unpleasant surprises: The cruel and senseless way in which one of the characters is disposed of by a Nazi solder
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