"Leading German actor Burghart Klaußner gives an electrifying performance as the German-Jewish prosecutor who defied his country to bring a notorious Nazi war criminal to justice, in THE PEOPLE VS. FRITZ BAUER. Its economy flourishing in the postwar 1950s, Germany grows increasingly apathetic about confronting its recent past. Against this backdrop, the implacable Attorney General Fritz Bauer (Klaußner) is committed to holding leaders of the Third Reich to account. He is stymied at every turn by authorities with Nazi ties, many of them former higher-ups under Hitler, now in top government positions. While slandered in the court of public opinion by foes seeking to silence him, the tenacious Bauer pursues a forbidden alliance with the Israeli spy agency Mossad to apprehend Holocaust mastermind Adolph Eichmann. Lars Kraume’s propulsive direction, superb period set design and costumes, and moody jazz soundtrack give the sinister proceedings a noir edge. Unafraid to expose the complicity of Germany’s chancellor, as well as industrial giants such as Mercedes-Benz, THE PEOPLE VS. FRITZ BAUER is a timely reminder of how justice can still be corrupted by economic interests. Audience Award Winner at the Locarno International Film Festival."
Director: Lars Kraume
Runtime: 105 mins.
Genre: Biography/Drama
Year: 2015
Country: Germany