The Counterfeiters [2007] Movie Reviews on CinemaClock

Based on the real-life Nazi plan, this very tense and stressful drama rises among one of the best concentration camp movies due to some amazing performances. One of the best movies of the year for sure. It deftly avoids getting melodramatic which is a long-standing problem of many hollywood prison or concentration camp movies. I'm beginning to get addicted to the whole hand-held camerawork that Paul Greengrass used to great success in the 2 most recent Bourne movies as well as United 93. It adds an extra level of tension to an already suspenseful film. It is again used here by director Stefan Ruzowitzky and I think it totally works. Without taking a stance on the moral issues dug into this film, the movie sympathizes with those that play their cards to win even though the rules of the game are ruthless. The camera is mercifully kept inside the counterfeiters' separate barracks and we are left to guess as to what is going on in the rest of the camp. This is an especially haunting aspect of the film in numerous places where our imaginations can betray us. Very unsettling.