Review: Munich: The Edge of War

Munich: The Edge of War tells a fictional story behind the British Prime Minister's famous Munich rendezvous meeting with Adolf Hitler. Stars George Mackay (1917), Sandra Hüller (Anatomy of a Fall) and as Neville Chamberlain Jeremy Irons.Which films make it to the cinemas, and which ones have to make do with a screening on streaming services like Prime Video and Netflix, is a bit of a mystery.I assume it's partly fashion, and partly belief that films aimed at an older audience are more likely to pick them up at home.Case in point, an old-fashioned Second World War spy thriller showing on Netflix and based on a best-selling novel by Robert Harris called Munich The Edge of War. It's an indication of how fertile the war years are for movie plots that I don't think I've ever seen one about the events surrounding Prime Minister Neville Chamberlain's futile attempts to stop Adolf Hitler with diplomacy.Munich is the story of two estranged former friends - Englishman Hugh Legat, German Paul von Hartmann. They fell out over Hitler - Paul was convinced the Fuhrer wasn't as dangerous as he was painted by his enemies.Five years later he's drastically changed his mind as Hitler prepares to invade Czechoslovakia. Prime Minister Chamberlain - the best I've seen Jeremy Irons for ages - is adamant that peace must prevail.In fact, Chamberlain is taking a delegation to Munich to persuade Hitler not to start another war in Europe.What he doesn't know is the existence of a document containing Hitler's real plans. One that Paul has secretly got hold of and will only pass on to his old mate Hugh.It's the sort of film that - generally - they don't make any more, or at least not for cinemas. But on Netflix it benefits from a solid story from Harris, a decent script from the National Theatre's Ben Power and good, bilingual direction from the German Christian Schwochow, who cut his English language teeth on several episodes of The Crown.The cast is pretty good too. As well as Irons, it features 1917's George MacKay as Hugh and a trio of terrific young German actors - Jannis Niewöhner as Paul, a touching bit from Berlin Babylon star, Liv Liese Fries, and Sandra Hüller - so good in Anatomy of a FallThe story follows Paul getting the document to Hugh under the nose of the Gestapo, and then Hugh attempting to get it to Chamberlain. Though getting the willfully obtuse Prime Minister to read it is another matter.Of course, with the benefit of all these years of hindsight, we've become used to the idea that Chamberlain was one of history's great dupes. …Go to this episode on rnz.co.nz for more details