Movie Review #2865 LABYRINTH OF LIES. Avoiding my usual fare of no-thought-required Friday night movies at Palmy's Downtown Cinema, I took in this German film based on the Frankfurt Auschwitz trials in the 60s. Faced with a hierarchy full of hiding Nazis, a young public prosecutor embarks upon the task of building a case against former personnel from the Auschwitz concentration camp. Finding a Germany that would rather forget than deliver justice coupled with the aforementioned hierarchy, he has to negotiate his way through the mire of intrigue & with the help of a local journalist amongst others, finds the Auschwitz Angel of Death Josef Mengele in his sights. Narrowly missing his target on a return visit home, the pursuit turns to obsession & threatens everything he holds dear; fiancée, mother, friends & associates, culminating in his driving himself to brink of despair. However somewhat predictably, he does regroup & the movie comes to a conclusion at the outset of the trials. Well crafted & acted, L of L hones in on Nazi atrocities but avoids the shock factor of graphic representation & instead satisfies itself with the human reactions to such events. It also throws in a dollop of vulnerability around the main character as he has to face the secrets emanating from his own family & circle of friends. Nicely done overall & like many European productions, plays out rather matter of factly & without too much over-dramatisation. 7.5/10
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Geoff HorneI'm a movie nut from way back with my first ever being The Hallelujah Trail from 1964. Ever since, I've been mesmerized by the giant screen, and the darkness that went on forever. Despite the infernally uncomfortable seats, (plus having to stand for God Save the Queen), I've been enticed ever since to duck into a theatre whenever I can for a few hours of escapism. Archives
July 2022
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