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.
Jonas Dassler
Dietrich Bonhoeffer
Phileas Heyblom
Young Dietrich Bonhoeffer
August Diehl
Martin Niemoller
David Jonsson
Frank Fisher
Moritz Bleibtreu
Karl Bonhoeffer
Nadine Heidenreich
Paula Bonhoeffer
Clarke Peters
Reverend Powell Sr.
Flula Borg
Hans Dohnanyi
Lisa Hofer
Sabine Bonhoeffer
Arthur Riordan
Publican
Luise Landau
Young Sabine Bonhoeffer
William Robinson
Eberhard Bethge
James Flynn
Dr. Rascher
Greg Kolpakchi
Officer Ansel Knoblauch
Simon Licht
Herman Punder
Mark Wingett
Payne Best
Evan Hart
Vassily Kokorin
Vincent Franklin
Bishop Bell
Patrick Mölleken
Walter Bonhoeffer
Felix von Bredow
Rudolf-Christoph Von Gersdorff
John Akanmu
Louis Armstrong / Satchmo
Tim Hudson
Winston Churchill
Caroline Berry
Clementine Churchill
Marc Bessant
Hitler
John Keogh
Professor Fosdick
Muiris Crowley
Hoble (Lead Officer)
Katharina Heyer
Else Niemoller
Robert Besta
Rudolf Bamler
Christopher Reinhardt
Dr. Reinhard Krause
Jade Matthew
Christel Bonhoeffer
Charlotte Martz
Young Christel Bonhoeffer
Leonard Treyde
Klaus Bonhoeffer
Victoria Grueber
Susanne Bonhoeffer
Mattis Feldman
Jan Niemoller
Tomer Barash
Moses Kiefer
Mark Huberman
Samuel
Arne Gottschling
Another Prisoner
Toussaint Colombani
Swiss Guard 1
Matthijs van de Sande Bakhuyzen
Swiss Guard 2
James Craze
Bus Driver
Andy Kellegher
Gestapo At The Buchenwalde
Charles De Meester
Prisoner 2
Kurt Erickson
Church Goer 1
Dagmar Döring
Church Goer 2
Andreas Berger
Grim Gestapo #1
Tobias Schäfer
Gestapo Officer Of The Youth
Jörg Westphal
Gestapo At The Gallows
Jordan McGuinness
SS Officer 1
Antoine Van Lierde
Rector
Rachel Lally
Wife
Johannes Heinrichs
Grabbing Man
Milton Welsh
Ludwig Müller
Roman Schomburg
Ulrich Wagner
Joseph Palmer
Man in Sedan
Derek Carroll
Gestapo
Marcus Lamb
Colonel Tresckow
Alex O’Brien
Officer (uncredited)
Mary T Lynch
Woman (uncredited)
Scott William Winters
Innkeeper
Ian Dillion
(uncredited)
Mark de Carreau
Londoner
Director, Writer
Todd Komarnicki
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.