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 A classy action film: ‘The Counterfeiters’
By Bob Polunsky
Guest Columnist “The Counterfeiters,” winner of this year’s Best Foreign Language film Oscar, is a tale of survival that plays like an American crime movie.
It was made in Austria using subtitles that tell the story while the action and expressions on the faces of the characters make the story easy to follow. The plot is similar to some Hollywood films, but the character development, breath-taking pace and novel use of flashbacks give “The Counterfeiters” more class. That’s one reason why it won that Oscar.
The characters act and react as if they were combining a well-written “Mission Impossible” script with a re-worked James Bond movie. Like those movies, “The Counterfeiters” is about the extremes people use to survive in a hostile world. It’s also based on a true World War II story, and that gives it credibility. It reminds us that characters like those in the movie really exist.
Salomon Sorowitsch (Karl Markovics) is a gambler, a forger and a resourceful Austrian Jew who survived the war largely because of his connections to the Berlin underworld.
On the outside he’s considered a dangerous master criminal. But, on the inside where Nazi officers plot ways to destroy the Western world, Sali (as he calls himself) is considered a useful prisoner capable of counterfeiting British and American money. They want him to counterfeit enough of it to flood the market and destroy the economy in the West.
Sali pays close attention to every detail when he works. He also prides himself for his code of honor, so he is devoted to those who help him. He protects them as much as he protects himself.
Since the movie is based on fact, we know that counterfeit money didn’t destroy the economies of the western nations during World War II. “The Counterfeiters” shows how and why it didn’t, and it’s a story that hasn’t been told onscreen before.
Unexpected complications crop up to stall Sali and his crew, and the Nazi officers don’t help matters. They are too restless for their own good and get in Sali’s way. Their biggest problem is that they realize time is not on their side, so they pressure Sali to finish the job in a hurry.
Sali’s adventures rival Jason Bourne’s adventures, especially when it comes to the women he meets. He helps one beautiful woman by forging an Argentinian passport so she can escape Germany. The way she shows her gratitude is one reason why “The Counterfeiters” is rated R.
Sali moves from one concentration camp to another on winding roads in order to dodge unexpected obstacles. He never loses his confidence or his determination, but Fate intervenes when one man involved gets tuberculosis, thereby triggering a standstill to Sali’s operation. He has to change his plans, and, in the process, resolve the story. It also unmasks the most unusual real life World War II hero since Oskar Schindler, the conscientious German with a famous list of people he intended to help escape Nazi tyranny.
Studio rating: R for violence and nudity
Bob says: “Terrific!”
4 Stars
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