The film profiles the courageous Christian martyr Dietrich Bonhoeffer and his fight against the evils of Nazi Germany.
A shining beacon of bravery among modern-era Believers, Pastor Dietrich Bonhoeffer is a well-known historical figure, having sacrificed his life in opposition to Adolph Hitler's murderous National Socialist regime. Bonhoeffer: Pastor. Spy. Assassin. will bring him to life on the big screen for a new generation that may not be so familiar with his story.
From writer/director Todd Komarnicki (Sully, The Professor and the Madman), the film is set primarily in 1940s Germany during World War II. Bonhoeffer, played by German actor Jonas Dassler, was a Lutheran pastor who became an ardent anti-Nazi dissident, ultimately losing his life at the end of a hangman's noose at the age of 39.
The title of the film, the latest production from Utah-based Angel Studios, seems more marketing tool than a fully accurate reflection of the reality of the man's life, however. Pastor - check; spy against the Nazi regime - check; but assassin? No, he was not, and the picture has thus drawn protests from his descendants, according to German media reports.
That aside, the historical drama looks to be quite a thriller judging from the trailer (Christian Film Blog has not seen the movie). Shot in Belgium and Ireland, it delves not only into Bonhoeffer's passionate struggle to save Jews from Hitler's henchmen, but also his confrontation with racial discrimination while attending a seminary in the United States as a younger man.
Bonhoeffer: Pastor. Spy. Assassin. releases today in North America and will play on an estimated 1,900 screens, according to The Numbers website. You can watch the aforementioned trailer below to get a better sense of what to expect from the movie.
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