Blood & Gold

8.5/10

This German film now out on Netflix is about a Waffe-SS troop searching for hidden gold in a German village near the end of War World II. Caught in the middle of it all is a deserter from the unit Heinrich (played by Robert Maaser) and local woman Elsa (Marie Hacke).   

Between this and Sisu, it's has been quite the year for foreign-made WWII movies. This is a Tarantino-esque pic but unlike most of its kind it stands out. This is one of those movies where I can't say the entire story is unpredictable, but there are moments you can't see coming. The history of the gold is rather well thought out. I especially appreciate how natural a lot of the exposition about the gold and the village and characters in this is laid out without too much being shoved in at once or becoming boring and taking up screentime. 

The movie doesn't skimp on violence. Maybe not quite on the level of Sisu, but doesn't miss by that much either with a big Nazi body count. Going back to my previous comment about moments of unpredictability, there are a couple of inventive or surprise kills that'll get your attention. This includes probably one of the most unique assassinations I've seen in an admittedly macabre but clever scene that you definitely won't forget.

The movie's packed with well-defined characters in this movie of survival. Heinrich makes for a relatable protagonist and Maaser definitely has the build for an action hero. The two main Nazis in this, the determined and unsettling commander von Starnfeld (Alexander Scheer, the psychotic hijacker in vampires on a plane movie Blood Red Sky) and his nasty but capable second-in-command (whose name and actor I had trouble pinpointing afterwards, sorry) make for effective, albeit not original, Nazi bad guys.

Be forewarned that there is an attempted sex crime in this. If you don't want to see this sort of thing, then you'd best avoid. Also to the movie's credit, it seemed to be trying to be at least fairly accurate to history. However, we international viewers could be confused about more specific references without much context given in regards to the history of the Nazi reign in Germany. They don't happen often, though.

Highly recommended. Not for you naturally if you're not big on violent movies, but if you like this sort of thing it's a very entertaining film.