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Bonhoeffer: Pastor. Spy. Assassin.
Bonhoeffer: Pastor. Spy. Assassin.

6.5

Bonhoeffer: Pastor. Spy. Assassin.

PG-13·2024·132m

Summary

As the world teeters on the brink of annihilation, Dietrich Bonhoeffer joins a deadly plot to assassinate Hitler, risking his faith and fate to save millions of Jews from genocide.

Cast

Jonas Dassler

Jonas Dassler

Dietrich Bonhoeffer

Phileas Heyblom

Phileas Heyblom

Young Dietrich Bonhoeffer

August Diehl

August Diehl

Martin Niemoller

David Jonsson

David Jonsson

Frank Fisher

Moritz Bleibtreu

Moritz Bleibtreu

Karl Bonhoeffer

Nadine Heidenreich

Paula Bonhoeffer

Clarke Peters

Clarke Peters

Reverend Powell Sr.

Flula Borg

Flula Borg

Hans Dohnanyi

Lisa Hofer

Sabine Bonhoeffer

Arthur Riordan

Arthur Riordan

Publican

Luise Landau

Young Sabine Bonhoeffer

William Robinson

Eberhard Bethge

James Flynn

James Flynn

Dr. Rascher

Greg Kolpakchi

Greg Kolpakchi

Officer Ansel Knoblauch

Simon Licht

Simon Licht

Herman Punder

Mark Wingett

Mark Wingett

Payne Best

Evan Hart

Evan Hart

Vassily Kokorin

Vincent Franklin

Vincent Franklin

Bishop Bell

Patrick Mölleken

Patrick Mölleken

Walter Bonhoeffer

Felix von Bredow

Felix von Bredow

Rudolf-Christoph Von Gersdorff

John Akanmu

Louis Armstrong / Satchmo

Tim Hudson

Tim Hudson

Winston Churchill

Caroline Berry

Caroline Berry

Clementine Churchill

Marc Bessant

Hitler

John Keogh

John Keogh

Professor Fosdick

Muiris Crowley

Muiris Crowley

Hoble (Lead Officer)

Katharina Heyer

Katharina Heyer

Else Niemoller

Robert Besta

Robert Besta

Rudolf Bamler

Christopher Reinhardt

Dr. Reinhard Krause

Jade Matthew

Christel Bonhoeffer

Charlotte Martz

Charlotte Martz

Young Christel Bonhoeffer

Leonard Treyde

Klaus Bonhoeffer

Victoria Grueber

Susanne Bonhoeffer

Mattis Feldman

Jan Niemoller

Tomer Barash

Moses Kiefer

Mark Huberman

Mark Huberman

Samuel

Arne Gottschling

Another Prisoner

Toussaint Colombani

Swiss Guard 1

Matthijs van de Sande Bakhuyzen

Matthijs van de Sande Bakhuyzen

Swiss Guard 2

James Craze

James Craze

Bus Driver

Andy Kellegher

Andy Kellegher

Gestapo At The Buchenwalde

Charles De Meester

Prisoner 2

Kurt Erickson

Church Goer 1

Dagmar Döring

Dagmar Döring

Church Goer 2

Andreas Berger

Grim Gestapo #1

Tobias Schäfer

Tobias Schäfer

Gestapo Officer Of The Youth

Jörg Westphal

Jörg Westphal

Gestapo At The Gallows

Jordan McGuinness

SS Officer 1

Antoine Van Lierde

Rector

Rachel Lally

Wife

Johannes Heinrichs

Johannes Heinrichs

Grabbing Man

Milton Welsh

Milton Welsh

Ludwig Müller

Roman Schomburg

Roman Schomburg

Ulrich Wagner

Joseph Palmer

Joseph Palmer

Man in Sedan

Derek Carroll

Derek Carroll

Gestapo

Marcus Lamb

Marcus Lamb

Colonel Tresckow

Alex O’Brien

Officer (uncredited)

Mary T Lynch

Woman (uncredited)

Scott William Winters

Scott William Winters

Innkeeper

Ian Dillion

(uncredited)

Mark de Carreau

Londoner

Crew

Director, Writer

Todd Komarnicki

Reviews

B

Brent_Marchant

December 1, 2024

4

Heroes come in many forms, and, regrettably, they often go unrecognized for their efforts, which is why movies honoring them for their accomplishments can be so vitally important, particularly in attempts at correcting the oversight of being overlooked. However, when it comes to writer-director Todd Komarnicki’s cinematic tribute to Dietrich Bonhoeffer (1906-1945) (Jonas Dassler), a little-recognized German theologian who was sharply critical of the Nazis’ treatment of Jews and imprisoned dissidents during World War II, that noble goal goes largely unfulfilled. To be perfectly honest, this film is dreadfully dull, relying on a lot of preaching and protracted conversations to carry the narrative, not exactly what I would call engaging and compelling viewing. Indeed, if Bonhoeffer was supposedly so influential in spearheading German resistance against the Third Reich and criticism of Germany’s national church for its silence toward and complicity with Adolf Hitler’s policies, his initiatives, at least as portrayed here, aren’t particularly enlightening or instructive. To make matters worse, the picture’s flashback-oriented approach alternating between Bonhoeffer’s final days and events from his past lends little to telling his story, occasionally causing pivotal developments in his life to become more muddled than enlightening. Perhaps this production’s biggest sin, however, is its alleged tampering with the facts, including events that never took place, others whose content was significantly altered and still more for which there are only vague suggestions about their validity but for which substantial proof is lacking. The result is a release where viewers might easily come away from it not knowing what to believe given its fabrications, alterations and lack of coherence. That’s even apparent in the title, whose qualities attributed to the protagonist could be considered specious, at least when it comes to his supposed role as spy and assassin. To its credit, though, there are moments when Bonhoeffer’s outspoken views are presented through powerfully delivered statements (though the same could also readily be said of the words of some of his peers), but they’re too few and far between for my tastes. In addition, Bonhoeffer’s prolific career as a writer goes largely unnoticed, reducing his 34 volumes of work to little more than a footnote and a few passing references. It’s truly sad to see a film that gets things wrong as badly as this one does, especially when it comes to recognizing the work of someone who is said to have had as much impact as he did. Unfortunately, the oversights here continue.

Media

Status:

Released

Original Language:

English

Budget:

$20,000,000.00

Revenue:

$10,693,830.00

Keywords

pacifism
based on true story
tyranny
historical drama
1940s
christian film
nazi germany
independent film