The Exception

Play trailer

2:18

The Exception

R

2017

1h 47m

History

Drama

War

Romance

Play Trailer

Watchlist

Watchlist

Tomatometer

Popcornmeter

75%

Tomatometer

61 Reviews

67%

Popcornmeter

2,500+ Ratings

German soldier Stefan Brandt goes on a mission to investigate exiled German Monarch Kaiser Wilhelm II. The Kaiser lives in a secluded mansion in the Netherlands, and as Germany is taking over Holland, the country's authorities are concerned that Dutch spies may be watching the Kaiser. As Brandt begins to infiltrate the Kaiser's life in search of clues, he finds himself drawn into an unexpected and passionate romance with Mieke, one of the Kaiser's maids.

Watch on Fandango at Home

Stream Now

Critics Consensus

The Exception (The Kaiser's Last Kiss) elegantly blends well-dressed period romance and war drama into a solidly crafted story further elevated by Christopher Plummer's excellent work and the efforts of a talented supporting cast.

Read Critics Reviews

Kevin Maher

The Times (UK)

10/13/2022

Philandering Nazis, saucy servants, preposterous subterfuge — there's a touch of 'Allo 'Allo! in this espionage wartime thriller.

Go to Full Review

Peter Bradshaw

Guardian

09/29/2017

2/5

The ridiculousness levels are very high.

Go to Full Review

Ed Potton

The Times (UK)

09/29/2017

3/5

The film moves at a good lick and it's directed with a light touch by David Leveaux.

Go to Full Review

Jason Adams

The Film Experience

01/14/2022

The Exception never lets itself drown in the horror that we all know's just off-screen

Go to Full Review

Kip Mooney

Fresh Fiction

08/10/2021

B-

A perfectly adequate World War II story that features one tremendous performance and little else.

Go to Full Review

Emma Simmonds

The List

01/18/2021

3/5

Fuelled by strong performances and suspense, The Exception is persuasive in its belief that even the most casual cruelty can have potentially devastating consequences.

Go to Full Review

Read all reviews

Sebastian V

Oct 9

The war drama is very good, the movie envelops on a very interesting war romance

See more

Steve C

Jul 29

A predictable ending. Their romance is based on doing X rated activity while she insists that they can still do their duty too.

See more

Paul G

Dec 29

Very poor. I have no idea why Lilly James and Christopher Plummer agreed to do this what seems like a low budget, poorly made film. The romance seems very forced, the ending poor. Nothing here worth watching.

See more

06/19/2024

I loved this movie. Two strong hearts, minds and wills. Great cast. Beautiful love story.

See more

LetÃcia D

02/25/2024

I loved its story, its cast, the performances, but the open ending left me with doubts, I want to hope for a happy ending but times were different back then. Lily James and Jai Courtney are the couple with the most chemistry I've ever seen, I want more films of them together as a couple 💖

See more

08/26/2022

Instead of creating a close portrayal of Kaiser Wilhelm II, with one of the absolute best acting performers in the business in a true leading role, The Exception makers got carried away into a romantic soapish kind of secret agent, and not particularly exciting WW2 thriller, where the actual historical events play a very diminshed part. The result is that the total just ends up with quite a lot less of both, neither good history or fiction. Nevertheless, though it didn't really become one of his last great film roles, Christopher Plummer still stands out and saves the day.

See more

Read all reviews

Read More

Read Less

POST RATING

WRITE A REVIEW

EDIT REVIEW

David Leveaux

Director

Lily James

Mieke de Jong

Jai Courtney

Capt. Stefan Brandt

Christopher Plummer

Kaiser Wilhelm II

Eddie Marsan

Heinrich Himmler

Ben Daniels

Col. Sigurd von Ilsemann

The Ottoman Lieutenant

20%

51%

The Ottoman Lieutenant

Watchlist

TRAILER

for The Ottoman Lieutenant

Bitter Harvest

15%

67%

Bitter Harvest

Watchlist

TRAILER

for Bitter Harvest

Tulip Fever

10%

42%

Tulip Fever

Watchlist

TRAILER

for Tulip Fever

Come What May

41%

54%

Come What May

Watchlist

TRAILER

for Come What May

The Aftermath

26%

51%

The Aftermath

Watchlist

TRAILER

for The Aftermath

Discover more movies and TV shows.

View More

On DVD This Week: King Arthur: Legend of the Sword, Snatched, and More

Wonder Woman Is Certified Fresh

The Exception: Trailer 1

2:18

View more videos

View more photos

Synopsis

German soldier Stefan Brandt goes on a mission to investigate exiled German Monarch Kaiser Wilhelm II. The Kaiser lives in a secluded mansion in the Netherlands, and as Germany is taking over Holland, the country's authorities are concerned that Dutch spies may be watching the Kaiser. As Brandt begins to infiltrate the Kaiser's life in search of clues, he finds himself drawn into an unexpected and passionate romance with Mieke, one of the Kaiser's maids.

Director: David Leveaux
Producer: Lou Pitt, Judy Tossell
Screenwriter: Simon Burke
Distributor: A24
Production Co: Ostar Productions
Rating: R (Graphic Nudity|Brief Violence|Language|Sexuality)
Genre: History, Drama, War, Romance
Original Language: English
Release Date (Theaters): Jun 2, 2017, Limited
Release Date (Streaming): May 30, 2017
Box Office (Gross USA): $708.0K
Runtime: 1h 47m

Most Popular at Home Now