THE NINTH DAY — ** 1/2 — Ulrich Matthes, August Diehl, Bibiana Beglau; in German and French, with English subtitles; not rated, probable PG-13 (violence, ethnic slurs, profanity, torture, brief gore).
It's interesting to see filmmakers paint a more human portrait of Nazi characters in recent World War II dramas — not to make those characters more sympathetic but to make their actions seem even more monstrous. Probably the best example is the chilling, Oscar-nominated "Downfall."
In "The Ninth Day," however, it's done less effectively. The film is a talk-heavy drama allegedly based on the real-life experiences of Catholic priests who were imprisoned in the "priest block" of the infamous Dachau concentration camp.
While some of the film's supposed "facts" may have been called into question (at times it almost seems to be an apology from the Catholic Church for some of its actions — or lack thereof — during the war), "The Ninth Day" does boast some strong performances, especially from German actor Ulrich Matthes.
He plays Henri Kremer, a priest who's been offered a nine-day "leave" to visit the grave of his mother, since she died during his imprisonment.
Of course, Nazi leaders have more sinister reasons for doing so. Unterstrumfuhrer Gebhardt (August Diehl) is hoping that Kremer can use that time to convince Vatican leaders to sanction the Nazis' controversial "race laws." In essence, he's blackmailing Kremer with promises to release the remaining priests.
However, Kremer has also been warned that if he tries to escape, the other priests will be killed, and there may be further reprisals against Catholic officials.
This story is a fictional version of events told in the prison diary of Jean Bernard, one of the real-life priests. But co-screenwriters Eberhard Gorner and Andreas Pfluger and director Volker Schlondorff ("The Legend of Rita") have turned that material into a morality thriller filled with heavy-handed allusions to the betrayal of Judas Iscariot.
As Kremer, Matthes (who played Joseph Goebbels in "Downfall") wears a haunted expression and his physical and moral pain seems genuine. But Gebhardt's eventual eruption is less convincing, and Diehl's performance isn't as strong.
"The Ninth Day" is not rated but would probably receive a PG-13 for a few scenes of strong war violence (including shootings), scattered use of ethnic slurs and profanity, a scene of torture (crucifixion), and some brief gore. Running time: 93 minutes.
E-mail: jeff@desnews.com