A German independent film, 13 Minutes is about Georg Elser and his failed attempt to assassinate Hitler in 1939. It came to the local arthouse theater for maybe one week (or so), but then quickly left. It's total take in the U.S. market was ~$165,000. It got fairly good reviews, scoring a 76% on RT, and some critics argued that it was too sentimental and covered in "Oscar gloss". I think the critics are way off, and its dismal run in the U.S. movie market was due a extremely limited release. Too bad, because this is an excellent movie which merited a much wider release, as well as critical appreciation. Christian Friedel is well chosen to play Elser, and he does a terrific job. This is a fascinating chapter of World War II history, and it portrays the rise of the National Socialist Party (commonly referred to in English as the Nazi party). As not only Jews, but anyone who dissented, were isolated, persecuted, and marginalized, Elser was one who "swam against the tide." It wasn't until decades after the war that Elser was finally recognized for what he was -- a resistance fighter. In 1939, he was a lone wolf (no one else had the courage to pursue this course of action), and if Hitler had spoken longer and remained at the venue for 13 more minutes, he would have been annihilated by Elser's home-made bomb. Elser was caught trying to cross into Switzerland. Remarkably, he ended up in Dachau prison camp, and with the fall of Germany imminent, Hitler ordered him to be executed in April 1945. There are lessons here to be learned, and this biopic is a fine piece of historical reenactment.
