Film review: "The Exception"

"The Exception" is a film in which some characters and events are based in fact, but most of it has been fictionalized. Part thriller, part WWII drama and part love story, it brilliantly rises to the occasion on all levels.

In May 1940, Germany invades Holland where Kaiser Wilhelm II has been in exile for 20 years. Seems he was a "weak leader" and "poor strategist" but also of great symbolic importance to the German people. He and his wife, Princess Hermine (Janet McTeer), have been living a quiet life in a Castle outside of Utrecht until the invasion.

Hitler has sent Captain Stefan Brandt (Jai Courtney) to Holland in hopes of ascertaining the Kaiser's loyalty to the Third Reich under the guise of bodyguard. Although having been warned by his superior to stay clear of the female staff, Brandt is immediately smitten by Mieke (Lily James), a beautiful young maid. After impassioned sexual bonding, he discovers that she's a Jew, and later on, a British spy.

Meanwhile, Heinrich Himmler (a menacing Eddie Marsan) is scheduled for a surprise visit at the Castle, motive unknown. When he privately meets with the Kaiser, Himmler announces that Wilhelm and Hermine are to return to Berlin, thus restoring the monarchy. But at a formal dinner, Himmler proudly reveals a monstrous story to the guests. Bragging that ridding Germany of "undesirables" is an overwhelming task. So much so that an experiment performed on young children yielded that they could only kill 10 per minute. Suddenly, the Kaiser realizes (and Brandt confirms) that they are to be murdered before reaching Berlin. The nail-biting begins.

There's a whole lot of nefarious back-stabbing going on in "The Exception." Director David Leveaux raises a host of questions as to all of his characters' loyalties and where they lie. Are preconceived notions ever reliable or are there exceptions? His sumptuous camerawork is as enticing as are the player's interactions with one another. And a sweeping score by Brussels' Philharmonic Orchestra swells in all the right places. 

Plummer is exceptionally engaging as the moody monarch. His bombastic tirades and elaborate orations as a King who has been cast aside are gifts to behold. At age 87, Mr. Plummer is at the top of his game in this intriguing, playing-with-history piece of filmmaking.

War can make monsters out of human beings. But it also can bring out the best in those who are courageous enough to follow their hearts, and not orders. "The Exception" is a film that begs a watch in these trying times when heartlessness seems to be running rampant.