Director: Robert Schwentke
Writer: Robert Schwentke (Screenplay)
Starring: Max Hubacher, Alexander Fehling, Sebastian Rudolph, Max Thommes, Rike Eckermann
Plot: In the last moments of World War II, a young German soldier fighting for survival finds a Nazi captain’s uniform. Impersonating an officer, the man quickly takes on the monstrous identity of the perpetrators he is trying to escape from.
Tagline – Follow the Leader
Runtime: 1 Hour 58 Minutes
There may be spoilers in the rest of the review
Verdict: Shocking War Story
Story: The Captain starts in the dying days of World War II, young soldier Willi Herold (Hubacher) has run from his unit, but when in hiding, he finds a Captain’s uniform, he disguises himself as a German Officer to travel around the last few days, staying out of combat, showing a more human side than many would expect from a Captain.
The more time Willi finds himself in this role, he sees just how easily he can have a sway on decisions, while witnessing the horrors firsthand, horrors he would be going through himself for deserting the unit.
Thoughts on The Captain
Characters – Willi Herold is a private in the German army who has deserted his unit, he wants out of the war, but when he finds a captain’s uniform, he decides to pretend to be a captain, which sees him crossing lines he never imagined taking advantage of the new position of power during the closing days of the war. We do meet plenty of different military officials, who are using their position of power for their own good too, while others that have been suffering through the motions in the war.
Performances – Max Hubacher is wonderful in the leading role, he shows the true transformation the man goes through during his time as a captain, he is head and shoulders above the rest of the cast, who don’t do anything wrong, just let him take center stage.
Story – The story here follows a private in the German army that while on the run finds a captain’s uniform and decides to use the remaining time to take control of every situation, he finds himself in. this is a very interesting look at how one solider looked to survive and thrive in the late stages of the war. It shows how a position of power can make people do things they would never imagine, going places they didn’t think were possible. It does show us the horrors of war through a different set of lights.
History/War – The war side of this film shows us just how horrific war was, what people would do to survive and how much it will change people.
Settings – Each setting makes us see that the world will be set up to look as if we were with Willi during this war time.
Scene of the Movie – The trial.
That Moment That Annoyed Me – The camp scenes are hard to watch.
Final Thoughts – This is an interesting look at a war movie from the point of view of somebody who pretended to be an officer to escape getting put in a camp himself, slowly becoming corrupted by the power it gives him.
Overall: Surprising War Drama.
Signature Entertainment presents A Kid Like Jake on Amazon Prime September 4th
