"The People vs. Fritz Bauer" is an interesting film about a mostly forgotten piece of history. It seems that the Attorney General for Hesse (one of the most populous of the German states), Fritz Bauer, learned about the whereabouts of one of the most infamous Nazis in the post-war era. Yet, inexplicably, the folks in the government had very little interest in finding this man, as he could expose many in the Adenaur government who had Nazi ties--something that could prove embarrassing. So Bauer approached the Israelis with the information and ultimately the Nazi scum-bag was caught.What makes this film so interesting is the ambivalence towards Eichmann in Germany. Instead, the Federal Police seem much more interested in prosecuting homosexuals and preventing Eichmann's capture! Overall, a very interesting portrait of a bygone day. While I knew a lot about the Eichmann capture already, I didn't realize that they might have never found him if it wasn't for Bauer- -and that the Germans themselves couldn't have cared less! Very well made and well worth seeing.By the way, if you enjoy this film I also recommend you watch another exceptional German movie, "The Nasty Girl". It, too, discusses the German people and their ambivalence about confronting their Nazi past.

This deliberately paced but important film highlights the severe frustrations of Attorney General Fritz Bauer, as he attempts to prosecute former Nazis in his own country of Germany, in the late 1950's and early 60's. Many of the German people do not want to look back at the horrors that occurred in their country a decade before, instead wanting to move forward and enjoy an economic boom and democracy. Also, Bauer comes up against geopolitical resistance at the highest levels across the globe, as many nations to do want to aggressively pursue ex-Nazis for their own individual reasons.Bauer is ably portrayed by Burghart Klaussner, and his efforts, along with State Attorney Karl Angermann (Ronald Zehrfeld), will eventually lead to the capture, in Argentina, of the former high-ranking Nazi Adolf Eichmann, and his subsequent trial and execution in Israel. Also, Bauer's efforts would lead to the Frankfurt Auschwitz Trials, where additional ex-Nazis were tried and sentenced.I might mention that some of the same ground was covered in the fine 2014 movie "Labyrinth of Lies".

The People vs. Fritz Bauer presents the story of Attorney General Fritz Bauer, a Jew on a quest to prosecute the crimes of the Third Reich, as he was also briefly in a concentration camp, at one point. The action is set in motion when he learns that Adolf Eichmann, a lieutenant colonel responsible for mass deportations, is not only alive but living in Buenos Aires, Argentina. To be sure, Eichmann is one of the worst Nazi officials, and in today's political climate it would be hard to imagine that his prosecution would be riddled with difficulties, yet as this film shows, even in the late 1950s the political climate in Germany was not as progressive as it is today. Read the rest of my review here: https://indieethos.com/2016/09/16/the- people-vs-fritz-bauer/

That's metaphorically and literally speaking of course. One might also add that it can be a pun too. But while my summary line is definitely on the light side, the movie is not. And it couldn't be with the story it wants to tell. Germany has an obvious history with Nazis and the subsequent hunt for them. Or sometimes neglect in hunting them down for various reasons.This movie shows one of many cases and one man who was determined to bring as many to justice as possible. Despite and through all obstacles that were before him. So this is a story (thriller) that has quite a bit going for it. It's really well made and well acted too and the suspense is there, from the start until the end. There's also a lot of award talking going on about this, if that is something you're interested in