The Counterfeiters

R

Released Feb 22, 2008

1 hr. 39 min.

History

Drama

List

93%

127 Reviews

Tomatometer

88%

10,000+ Ratings

Audience Score

Salomon Sorowitsch lives a mischievous life of cards, booze, and women in Berlin during the Nazi-era. He suddenly gets arrested and thrown into a concentration camp. Salomon exhibits exceptional skills there and is soon transferred to an upgraded camp. Hand-picked for his unique skill, Salomon is forced to produce fake foreign currency.

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Critics Consensus

The Counterfeiters is a gripping account of one prisoner's moral dilemma, superbly portrayed by Karl Markovics.

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Samppa S

Great and entertaining historical drama about the real story of a nazi counterfeit operation in a concentration camp during the WW2.

Rated 5 out of 5 stars

06/22/23

Full Review

Gareth v

A powerful movie the looks at the moral ambiguity of survival in the concentration camps of WWII. One of 2008's best movies.

Rated 4.5 out of 5 stars

06/16/23

Full Review

Kevin L

"The Counterfeiters" is an exceptional film. Yes, the film takes place almost entirely within the confines what wartime concentration camps during WWII, a setting that even descriptions such as 'indescribable', 'unthinkable', 'psychotic ' fail to capture. But its the story of what occurs with this specific group of Jewish men who are selected for their skills and intellect that sets this film apart from the vast majority of other movies with the same setting. The irony and hypocrisy of the nazi SS to use them as a key aspect of their strategy to defeat the allied countries cannot be overlooked; esp. since it is based on actual events. The lead role is given a fittingly brilliant performance by Karl Markovicks, a man who lives a life of pleasure, privilege and deception whose life is instantly and forever altered for the very worst. Along with Markovicks, August Diehl, so impressive in "A Hidden Life" is equally so here, again as the voice and face of dissent. Writer and director Stefan Ruzowitzky has given us a film that resonates with the viewer due to the resounding realism conveyed by his screenplay and guidance in bringing the story to life on the screen. The tone from setting to setting, scene to scene, is well set and maintained. While we are naturally affected by the visual onslaught of such inhumanity and suffering, Ruzowitzky gives us the psychology of his characters as each one is afflicted in their own way by the events of the war and their treatment. Strong support performances from Striesow, Zirner, Urzendowsky, Schmidt and others. And credit as well to the set decorators for the realism they brought to the project. 4 stars

Rated 4 out of 5 stars

01/06/23

Full Review

dave s

If you are able to get past the dizzying, seizure-inducing camerawork, you'll probably find The Counterfeiters to be an impactful and rewarding film. When convicted Jewish forger and concentration camp inmate Salomon Sorowitsch (Karl Markovics) is identified by the Nazis as a potential asset to the war effort, he is transferred to a new facility to produce counterfeit British and American currency in order to bolster Germany's chances of winning the war. The film is driven by a simple moral premise: is it acceptable to protect one's life by serving the enemy and prolonging the war knowing that an extended conflict will result in thousands of Jews will be exterminated by the Nazis? It is a fascinating premise that is fully explored thanks to a smart script, solid performances (especially by Markovics) and frighteningly realistic period details .

Rated 4 out of 5 stars

03/30/23

Full Review

Joel C

Great film. I've never seen a Nazi film portrayed in this view before. The way the main Jew character works his way through the devastation of the camps and uses his skills to basically stay alive is really interesting. Powerful performances and nice filmmaking all round.

Rated 4.5 out of 5 stars

04/26/21

Full Review

Inaki B

A new point of view in the World War II a masterpiece

Rated 5 out of 5 stars

02/11/21

Full Review

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Stefan Ruzowitzky

Director

Karl Markovics

Salomon Sorowitsch

August Diehl

Adolf Burger

Devid Striesow

Friedrich Herzog

Martin Brambach

Holst

Dolores Chaplin

Red-Haired Woman

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David Ansen

Newsweek

It's details like that-too bizarre not to be true-that give "The Counterfeiters" its bitter wallop. It's an astonishing tale of cunning, compromise and survival.

Feb 6, 2018

Full Review

Steven Rea

Philadelphia Inquirer

As writer-director Stefan Ruzowitzky shows, powerfully, affectingly, in The Counterfeiters, the privileges experienced by this small team of Jews and criminals came at a price.

Rated: 3.5/4

Oct 18, 2008

Full Review

Paul Byrnes

Sydney Morning Herald

The winner of this year's Oscar for best foreign-language film puts devils, as well as angels, on the head of the pin.

Rated: 4/5

Jun 8, 2008

Full Review

Carlos Marañón

Cinemanía (Spain)

[The protagonist] illuminates a depth that's lacking in the entertaining class struggle that became the world's most macabre money factory. [Full review in Spanish]

Rated: 3.5/5

Nov 5, 2020

Full Review

Felicia Feaster

Charleston City Paper

And though the story line is fascinating, things grow relatively slack in the film's middle passage.

Jan 28, 2020

Full Review

Mattie Lucas

From the Front Row

While it is compulsively watchable, I never felt that the moral complexities were explored to their fullest extent.

Rated: 3/4

Jul 6, 2019

Full Review

Read all reviews

Synopsis

Salomon Sorowitsch lives a mischievous life of cards, booze, and women in Berlin during the Nazi-era. He suddenly gets arrested and thrown into a concentration camp. Salomon exhibits exceptional skills there and is soon transferred to an upgraded camp. Hand-picked for his unique skill, Salomon is forced to produce fake foreign currency.

Director: Stefan Ruzowitzky
Screenwriter: Stefan Ruzowitzky
Distributor: Sony Pictures Classics
Production Co: Babelsberg Film GmbH, Magnolia Films
Rating: R (Language|Brief Sexuality/Nudity|Some Strong Violence)
Genre: History, Drama
Original Language: German
Release Date (Theaters): Feb 22, 2008, Limited
Release Date (Streaming): Oct 4, 2008
Box Office (Gross USA): $5.5M
Sound Mix: Dolby SRD, Dolby SR

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