The Exception (2017)

To me, this movie is perfection.

Captivating movie !

Exactly the movie you think it is, but not the movie you want it to be.

It's the kind of movie you'll want to see a second time with someone who hasn't seen it yet, to remember what it was like to watch it for the first time.

"Take off your clothes"Really that's an opening line to the woman you have just met. And she does!! One of the more entertaining parts of this silly film.There is a plot in here somewhere - several really the kaiser's wife believes he will be re-instated in Hitler's Germanythe love between the kaiser's Nazi-German guardian and the Kaiser's maidthe resistance plot which I never quite understoodThe script is feeble and inane. The acting atrocious. It's all very laughable. I really thought something with Christopher Plummer would be better than this dribble.

Since World War Two was still being fought there have been a plethora of films about the subject, covering almost every side of every angle. Thus to justify another in 2017 the bar must be set high, and while The Exception might be a reasonable way to while away a Sunday afternoon it's debatable as to whether it does enough to justify its existence.Based on the novel The Kaiser's Last Kiss, The Exception focuses on disgraced Untersturmführer Martin Krebbs (Jai Courtney), being sent from the front lines after a confrontation with fellow SS officers in Poland. He is ordered to guard the exiled former Kaiser of Germany (Christopher Plummer), who now resides in the Netherlands. As Krebbs begins a relationship with a maid at the Kaiser's home (Lily James) there is talk of a British spy in the town, as well as German plans to restore the Kaiser to the throne.I'm unsure of the film title, as The Kaiser's Last Kiss feels much more evocative. This relates to my overall problems with the film, as it was often hard to feel sufficiently invested in proceedings. The lack of explosive confrontation and finality relating to the Kaiser himself doesn't justify a meandering build-up. Krebbs and the maid feels more like a tryst of convenience, not the explosive passion that would justify their increasingly erratic actions.This relationship of the officer and the servant girl is as old as time, and reminded me strongly of the 2014 film Suite Française. Coupled with a standard aloof Gestapo agent and the hunt for a spy the whole drama was often formulaic.This is a British cast playing German or Dutch characters, yet some actors have tried on clipped Queen's English, or Allo Allo attempts at German accents, or English with a Dutch lilt. It's so uneven as to be at times hilarious.Accents aside, the performances are a mixed bag. Jai Courtney brings his thumping ordinariness to the British prestige picture, and it would have been preferable to have had an actor who could really delve into the moral maze that Krebbs has found himself in. Lily James drinks up the screen both clothed or otherwise, and any issues with her performance are more to do with a somewhat underwritten character. The film does not shy away from the virulent anti-Semitism that leaves the Nazis so scarred in the Western consciousness. It is an achievement of Plummer to both inspire sympathy as an elderly man the world has passed by, and revulsion as a naive peddler of ugly conspiracy theories. The absolute standout scene of the film features a dinner party with the Kaiser and Himmler (a memorable Eddie Marsan), reminding all of the horrors committed by those who took this nonsense seriously.The whole thing has a sound production design, though the casting left me no doubt in my mind that for all the swastikas and uniforms this was a peculiarly British film. A German language production could have added a level of legitimacy, and a plot with more twists and turns could have led to a greater investment in the Kaiser's last days.christophermarchant.wordpress.com

The Exception works a good premise into a rollicking spy-romance that, once it hits its stride, delivers on both the suspense and the action. In that sense, it's an old-fashioned movie - one that hooks you in, stays just a step ahead and doesn't out-stay its welcome. Christopher Plummer gives a bravura performance as the former Kaiser. Janet McTeer is typically excellent as his wife. And the two young leads are attractive, in and out of their clothes, if no threat to Streep and DeNiro. Okay, so the story doesn't entirely accord with historical fact. Yes, Wilhelm never quite gave up on a restoration of the monarchy. Yes, Hermine actively petitioned the Nazi's on his behalf. But that's about where it ends. In truth, Wilhelm was as much an anti-semite as the Nazis. And the Nazis thought him an old fool, not worth bothering with. Still, it's worth the suspension of disbelief for the duration of the movie.

Novels and films have filled us with possibilities of historical events since the first written words appeared and images on celluloid blasted across movie screens. They give us the opportunity to make the impersonal facts personal, to insert characters into a story filled with what ifs rather than just the facts. Some work, some don't, but most fall somewhere in between. Such is the case with THE EXCEPTION.Jai Courtney stars as Capt. Stefan Brandt, a WWII German officer assigned the task of security for Kaiser Wilhelm II (Christopher Plummer) now safely ensconced in Holland. Brandt is given the assignment in lieu of a reprimand for an event we are not yet aware of as the film begins. The Germans have invaded the Netherlands and the location of the Kaiser is now under their jurisdiction, thus Brandt's assignment.When he arrives Brandt is instructed on how things operate here. The belief is that one day Wilhelm will return to the throne and become king once again. He is still treated as royalty, which he is, and all around him caters to that position. One of the earliest instructions Brandt is given is to never associate with the help.Of course he ignores this instruction the first night when an invitation to dinner the next night is delivered by one of the maid, Mieke (Lily James). Before dismissing her Brandt orders her to strip and has sex with her. Mieke complies without comment and leaves when done. An attraction between the two forms and they meet behind closed doors and in secret from there on.As all of this unfolds at the home of the Kaiser, Gestapo agents in town are seeking a British secret agent rumored to be in town. Scanning with electronic equipment they have narrowed down where orders are coming from via Morse code but haven't pinpointed it yet.As things progress and Brandt comes to know the Kaiser for who he really is, various items are revealed to the viewer. What was the affront committed by Brandt? Who is the British spy most likely located within the Kaiser's staff or on his grounds? And does loyalty to one's country mean loyalty to one's leaders? All things come to a head when a visit by Heinrich Himmler is announced. Himmler informs the Kaiser that he is needed to return to Berlin in the coming days with the intent of placing him back on the throne. In secret he lets the local Gestapo head and Brandt know that this is just a ploy to root out those who still support the Kaiser. The plan sets in motion events that the story has led to at a faster pace.The movie is well made on a technical level. Well shot and staged with solid directing of all involved makes the movie easy to watch. The sets and costuming are well done here, creating a movie that makes us feel we are there rather than one where spotless uniforms are the rule of the day ruining any sense of reality.All of the actors involved do a tremendous job. Courtney stands out offering a low key approach to his character. I feel as if all other films I've seen him in have presented him in an over the top style. Here he plays Brandt as a man thinking and feeling instead of a blustering take charge man. James also does a good job here as Mieke, a woman who is torn as to what to do. And Plummer as always turns in an excellent portrayal of his character.My only problem with the film lies in the relationship between Brandt and Mieke, at least at first. It begins almost immediately in the film and is so abrupt as to make it the one unbelievable moment in the film. Their first time alone together, while not violent, actually amounts to a rape and yet they fall for one another. I found that difficult to believe. To think that they fall in love afterwards is a bit much.With that exception I found the movie entertaining and interesting. The plot is believable and it may stir up interests for some in what really became of Kaiser Wilhelm II for those who do not know. I know that it did in me. In the meantime the movies offers a bit of escape from a historical perspective and is worth giving a watch.