This is a film about a man discovering his conscience; it is brilliantly written, as we meet an impassive, chilly killer-for-hire go quietly about his business, who in the course of his work becomes personally involved with the family of his next victim To reveal too much about the plot would be to spoil a viewer's involvement--it is lushly photographed in Israel, in Germany, deals with the residuals of Fascist rule, with sexist preconceptions, with the nature of love; it's subtle set of themes creep up on you after long after you view the film and realize how much of the film could have gone awry with it's complex overlays of interlacing themes and careful mixture of politics and personal stories.

This is a deeply moving account of the troubled relationship that still exists between Israelis and Germans; between Israelis and Palestinians; and between gay men and straight men.So many heterosexual viewers miss the most obvious subplot, which is the growing romantic and sexual attraction that Eyal (the hardened Israeli Mossad agent) feels towards Axel, the gentle, extroverted, fun-loving, kind, and decent German who also happens to be gay. I have had countless debates with straight men who insit that I am guilty of "wishful thinking" for believing that Eyal fell in love with Axel, although the signs of this growing romantic and sexual attraction are so glaringly obvious to a gay viewer that it is with difficulty and incredulity that I argue this very issue with so many heterosexuals (particularly heterosexual men).At first, Eyal and Axel are like oil and water. Eyal perceives Axel to be a "pseudo-liberal" and condemns him out of hand for questioning the motives of the Palestinian suicide bombers who blow themselves up (killing innocent men, women, and children in the process). Eyal is the prototypical Israeli alpha male – machismo is his defining characteristic, manifesting itself in the angry arguments he has with Menachem (his Mossad supervisor) and in his bellicose, over the top display of anger before Menachem and his colleague upon disclosing the fact that he had been shepherding a "homo" around Israel as he played Nazi "games" with Menachem. Shakespeare's expression "The lady doth protest too much, methinks" gains new traction in this context; Eyal resorts to the most base stereotyping of Axel (typified in his remark that Axel found somebody to take him shopping in Israel), apparently unaware of his own tendency to think in stereotypes (referring to the Palestinians as "animals").But it is the character growth and development of Eyal that makes this movie a rare gem. For me, one of the defining moments in the movie occurs when Axel and his sister, Pia, sing "Cinderella Rockerfella" together, so obviously enjoying themselves (and each other). Eyal saw two Germans – people who he had every reason to hate – loving each other and loving life, oblivious to the hatred that others were "supposed" to feel towards them. Pia's disclosure that her Israeli boyfriend left her upon learning that her grandfather had been a Nazi is genuinely sad; nobody is born with a debt (a point that this movie makes without becoming tendentious or moralistic), and neither Pia nor Axel should have had to suffer for the crimes perpetrated against Eyal's parents (and thousands of other Jews) by their elderly grandfather.There is a scene involving blatant flirtation between Axel and Eyal, occurring in the context of a serious discussion about gay sex, which makes the growing attraction that Eyal feels towards Axel so clearly obvious that it takes an act of wilful denial of reality to miss this attraction. This flirtation occurs when Axel remarks about all straight men being the same – the body language between the two men, the tones of voice, and the subject matter were all so clearly indicative of where their relationship was headed that denial of this relationship can only be explained in terms of utter blindness, or the depressing tendency of so many straight Americans (particularly men) to reduce gay relationships to the sum of a number of sex acts, completely ignoring the emotional and psychological dimensions of such relationships. Eyal fell in love with Axel – when he first saw Axel in Berlin, watching him emerge from the school at which Axel taught new immigrants basic skills, he had the look of a lovesick puppy on his face… There are scenes in this movie that are to be treasured for the manner in which they combine irony with tenderness. The word "achtung", spoken by Axel as he guides the houseguests through an old Hebrew folk dance, would be grotesque and obscene in any other context – but the actors and directors pull this off masterfully in this movie.The conflict between Axel and his mother (Sigrid) comes to a head after the old Nazi grandfather is introduced to the guests at Axel's father's birthday party – and this scene is so sad, precisely because it contrasts the stark difference in attitudes between younger Germans, who want nothing whatsoever to do with their national past, with that of older Germans, some of whom are torn by the conflicting demands of family loyalty on the one hand, and justice on the other. This movie reminds the viewer of the fact that Germans born after World War II are all too frequently reminded of the reality that not all older Germans have come to terms with their past, and that old hatreds die hard.The only false note in this movie was at the very end, in which Eyal married Pia. Throughout the movie, Eyal showed absolutely no interest in Pia whatsoever (although Pia looked as though she wished to devour Eyal on the spot!). Clearly, this ending was tacked on for the sake of the backward yokels in the red states, who would have boycotted or otherwise targeted this movie had it ended where it should have ended (revealing the sexual and emotional relationship so strongly implied between Eyal and Axel).In the real life story upon which this movie was based, the Mossad agent depicted by Eyal fell in love with, and had a romantic and sexual relationship with, the German brother of the Nazi grandfather, before marrying the sister. However, this ending was poorly handled in the movie – the relationship between Eyal and Pia underwent no development whatsoever, and the ending was completely incongruous. The movie was saved from being ruined by the ending, however, by Eyal's account of the dream he had, in which he and Axel finally walked on water. Finally, both characters were able to accomplish this miracle, even if only in their dreams...

If you have watched more than a handful of movies, chances are that you will have had this one figured out from the word 'go'. This movie is amateurish, predictable and downright boring. Crammed with clichés and stereotypical characters, the only "saving grace" is the fact that it deals with one of the most complicated and delicate historical issues known to man. The story line is about as exciting as retelling your own visit to the loo. The hammy acting brings to mind the 'versatility' of actors such as Van Damme or Seagal. In other words, armchairs evoke more heartrending feelings than they do. Extremely heavy handed and above all a total waste of time.

This movie was billed as a film about a Mossad agent going after a war criminal. One would suspect something along the lines of The Bourne Identity or Munich. You would be sorely disappointed.This is a film about life and about people. It is about forgiving and forgetting. It's about "getting over it." It is about acceptance of others regardless of their national origin or sexual orientation.This film is full of surprises and it is how people deal with those surprises that is what is so fascinating about it. It is about generational differences and how the same thing affects the young and old.If you are interested in Holocaust films or Israeli-Palestinaian relations, then this is a film you will certainly enjoy.