In the late 90's, Jack and Kathy Riley wrote an excellent script called "After the Truth," a thriller/legal drama about a German lawyer who found himself unwillingly having to defend "the Butcher of Brussels" in court. I was fortunate enough to read a copy of this script before I saw the film; it was exciting and fascinating, and the moral of the story - to cherish every life - was abundantly clear.
Unfortunately, the English-language script ended up getting made by a German production company. Whether something just ended up getting lost in the translation, or whether changes were made for other aesthetic reasons, the finished product doesn't really resemble the original script.
The main character is changed from a sympathetic, family-loving character who is put in a bad situation, into an unsympathetic character who's mean to his wife and seems to partly agree with the "Butcher." As another poster commented, one gets the impression that the "Butcher" thinks of himself as noble and that no one is willing to challenge him on this.
So while I agree that the film doesn't quite work, I would hasten to add that the original intent of the Rileys' script was not truly maintained. So for any potential bad messages in the film, the blame cannot be laid at their feet.
To be fair, the film has some good acting, and there are some chilling moments as well. Besides, this is (I believe) the first German-language film that even acknowledges that the Holocaust ever happened. Surely that's a step forward, isn't it?
Unfortunately, the English-language script ended up getting made by a German production company. Whether something just ended up getting lost in the translation, or whether changes were made for other aesthetic reasons, the finished product doesn't really resemble the original script.
The main character is changed from a sympathetic, family-loving character who is put in a bad situation, into an unsympathetic character who's mean to his wife and seems to partly agree with the "Butcher." As another poster commented, one gets the impression that the "Butcher" thinks of himself as noble and that no one is willing to challenge him on this.
So while I agree that the film doesn't quite work, I would hasten to add that the original intent of the Rileys' script was not truly maintained. So for any potential bad messages in the film, the blame cannot be laid at their feet.
To be fair, the film has some good acting, and there are some chilling moments as well. Besides, this is (I believe) the first German-language film that even acknowledges that the Holocaust ever happened. Surely that's a step forward, isn't it?