HistoryDramaWar

Bonhoeffer: Pastor. Spy. Assassin

- In an impossible time, it takes impossible courage.

As the world teeters on the brink of annihilation, Dietrich Bonhoeffer joins a deadly plot to assassinate Hitler, risking his faith and fate to save millions of Jews from genocide.

Release Date : 2024-11-20

Language :GermanEnglish

Adult : false

Status : Released

Production Company : Crow's Nest ProductionsFontana

Production Country : BelgiumIreland

Alternative Titles : God's Spy

Cast

Character Name : Dietrich Bonhoeffer

Original Name : Jonas Dassler

Gender : Male

Character Name : Young Dietrich Bonhoeffer

Original Name : Phileas Heyblom

Gender : Male

Character Name : Martin Niemoller

Original Name : August Diehl

Gender : Male

Character Name : Frank Fisher

Original Name : David Jonsson

Gender : Male

Character Name : Karl Bonhoeffer

Original Name : Moritz Bleibtreu

Gender : Male

Character Name : Paula Bonhoeffer

Original Name : Nadine Heidenreich

Gender : Female

Character Name : Reverend Powell Sr.

Original Name : Clarke Peters

Gender : Male

Character Name : Hans Dohnanyi

Original Name : Flula Borg

Gender : Male

Character Name : Sabine Bonhoeffer

Original Name : Lisa Hofer

Gender : Female

Character Name : Publican

Original Name : Arthur Riordan

Gender : Male

Character Name : Young Sabine Bonhoeffer

Original Name : Luise Landau

Gender : Male

Character Name : Eberhard Bethge

Original Name : William Robinson

Gender : Male

Character Name : Dr. Rascher

Original Name : James Flynn

Gender : Male

Character Name : Officer Ansel Knoblauch

Original Name : Greg Kolpakchi

Gender : Male

Character Name : Herman Punder

Original Name : Simon Licht

Gender : Male

Character Name : Payne Best

Original Name : Mark Wingett

Gender : Male

Character Name : Vassily Kokorin

Original Name : Evan Hart

Gender : Male

Character Name : Bishop Bell

Original Name : Vincent Franklin

Gender : Male

Character Name : Walter Bonhoeffer

Original Name : Patrick Mölleken

Gender : Male

Character Name : Rudolf-Christoph Von Gersdorff

Original Name : Felix von Bredow

Gender : Male

Character Name : Louis Armstrong / Satchmo

Original Name : John Akanmu

Gender : Male

Character Name : Winston Churchill

Original Name : Tim Hudson

Gender : Male

Character Name : Clementine Churchill

Original Name : Caroline Berry

Gender : Female

Character Name : Hitler

Original Name : Marc Bessant

Gender : Male

Character Name : Professor Fosdick

Original Name : John Keogh

Gender : Male

Character Name : Hoble (Lead Officer)

Original Name : Muiris Crowley

Gender : Male

Character Name : Else Niemoller

Original Name : Katharina Heyer

Gender : Female

Character Name : Rudolf Bamler

Original Name : Robert Besta

Gender : Male

Character Name : Dr. Reinhard Krause

Original Name : Christopher Reinhardt

Gender : Male

Character Name : Christel Bonhoeffer

Original Name : Jade Matthew

Gender : Male

Character Name : Young Christel Bonhoeffer

Original Name : Charlotte Martz

Gender : Female

Character Name : Klaus Bonhoeffer

Original Name : Leonard Treyde

Gender : Male

Character Name : Susanne Bonhoeffer

Original Name : Victoria Grueber

Gender : Male

Character Name : Jan Niemoller

Original Name : Mattis Feldman

Gender : Male

Character Name : Moses Kiefer

Original Name : Tomer Barash

Gender : Male

Character Name : Samuel

Original Name : Mark Huberman

Gender : Male

Character Name : Another Prisoner

Original Name : Arne Gottschling

Gender : Male

Character Name : Swiss Guard 1

Original Name : Toussaint Colombani

Gender : Male

Character Name : Swiss Guard 2

Original Name : Matthijs van de Sande Bakhuyzen

Gender : Male

Character Name : Bus Driver

Original Name : James Craze

Gender : Male

Character Name : Gestapo At The Buchenwalde

Original Name : Andy Kellegher

Gender : Male

Character Name : Prisoner 2

Original Name : Charles De Meester

Gender : Male

Character Name : Church Goer 1

Original Name : Kurt Erickson

Gender : Male

Character Name : Church Goer 2

Original Name : Dagmar Döring

Gender : Female

Character Name : Grim Gestapo #1

Original Name : Andreas Berger

Gender : Male

Character Name : Gestapo Officer Of The Youth

Original Name : Tobias Schäfer

Gender : Male

Character Name : Gestapo At The Gallows

Original Name : Jörg Westphal

Gender : Male

Character Name : SS Officer 1

Original Name : Jordan McGuinness

Gender : Male

Character Name : Rector

Original Name : Antoine Van Lierde

Gender : Male

Character Name : Wife

Original Name : Rachel Lally

Gender : Male

Character Name : Grabbing Man

Original Name : Johannes Heinrichs

Gender : Male

Character Name : Ludwig Müller

Original Name : Milton Welsh

Gender : Male

Character Name : Ulrich Wagner

Original Name : Roman Schomburg

Gender : Male

Character Name : Man in Sedan

Original Name : Joseph Palmer

Gender : Male

Character Name : Gestapo

Original Name : Derek Carroll

Gender : Male

Character Name : Colonel Tresckow

Original Name : Marcus Lamb

Gender : Male

Character Name : Officer (uncredited)

Original Name : Alex O’Brien

Gender : Male

Character Name : Woman (uncredited)

Original Name : Mary T Lynch

Gender : Female

Character Name : Innkeeper

Original Name : Scott William Winters

Gender : Male

Character Name : Londoner

Original Name : Mark de Carreau

Gender : Male

Character Name : Congregant

Original Name : Sorcha Real

Gender : Female

Character Name : Berlin Passenger

Original Name : Ciara Dan McGinnis

Gender : Female

Character Name : Fahrer

Original Name : Johannes Schreiber

Gender : Male

Character Name : Gerhard Jacobi

Original Name : Ingo Brosch

Gender : Male

Character Name : SS Unteroffizier

Original Name : Jean Schatz

Gender : Male

Character Name : Prisoner #1

Original Name : Jean-Michel Vovk

Gender : Male

Character Name : Prisoner 3

Original Name : Lewis Goody

Gender : Male

Character Name : Another Prisoner

Original Name : Ruben Francq

Gender : Male

Character Name : Another Bishop

Original Name : Richard Wells

Gender : Male

Character Name : Mattie Powell

Original Name : Dada Ashi

Gender : Female

Character Name : Jasper Montgomery Passenger

Original Name : David Coffey Weakley

Gender : Male

Character Name : Girl in Tea Room

Original Name : Lili Baldari

Gender : Male

Character Name : Executioner

Original Name : Morgan Cooke

Gender : Male

Character Name : Sebastian

Original Name : Sion Alun Davies

Gender : Male

Character Name : Political Prisoner

Original Name : Gabriel Marie S. Debaty

Gender : Male

Character Name : Student

Original Name : Nyla DeGrate

Gender : Male

Character Name : Political Prisoner

Original Name : Mathieu Michel F. Devuyst

Gender : Male

Character Name : Church Attendee

Original Name : Damien Donnelly

Gender : Male

Character Name : Gestapo Officer

Original Name : Aaran Donoghue

Gender : Male

Character Name : Third Student

Original Name : Nathan Edo

Gender : Male

Character Name : Officer Franz Kohler

Original Name : Pat Egan

Gender : Male

Character Name : Political Prisoner

Original Name : David Faniel

Gender : Male

Character Name : Bishop #4

Original Name : John Flanders

Gender : Male

Character Name : Another Student

Original Name : Eliana Getachew

Gender : Male

Character Name : Another Student

Original Name : Eliana Getachew

Gender : Male

Character Name : Political Prisoner

Original Name : Fabien Guilliams

Gender : Male

Character Name : Political Prisoner

Original Name : Guillame Alban V. Jousten

Gender : Male

Character Name : Henry Maddox

Original Name : Dashiell James Komarnicki

Gender : Male

Character Name : Anne Maddox

Original Name : Remy Grace Komarnicki

Gender : Male

Character Name : Prisoner

Original Name : Andrew McCarthy

Gender : Male

Character Name : Prisoner

Original Name : Caolan McClafferty

Gender : Male

Character Name : Street Kid #2

Original Name : Lincoln McLain

Gender : Male

Character Name : Another Churchgoer

Original Name : Suzann McLean

Gender : Female

Character Name : Gestapo

Original Name : Daire McMahon

Gender : Male

Character Name : Scrivener

Original Name : Des Meade

Gender : Male

Character Name : Gestapo Officer

Original Name : Daithi Michael

Gender : Male

Character Name : Pastor

Original Name : Jacky Nercessian

Gender : Male

Character Name : Brit

Original Name : Hugh O'Shea

Gender : Male

Character Name : Ava

Original Name : Ava Rose Paul

Gender : Male

Character Name : Other Gestapo

Original Name : Moritz Ross

Gender : Male

Character Name : Street Kid #1

Original Name : Flynn Segura

Gender : Male

Character Name : Grim Gestapo #2

Original Name : Harry Stone-Brown

Gender : Male

Character Name : Bishop #3

Original Name : Charlie Stuart

Gender : Male

Character Name : Prisoner

Original Name : Niko El Santo Zavero

Gender : Male

Character Name : Veronica Maddox

Original Name : Heather Zicko

Gender : Male

Character Name : Prisoner Buchenwald

Original Name : Martin Zonderman

Gender : Male

Character Name : Gestapo Officer

Original Name : Guy Dierckx

Gender : Male

Character Name : Berlin Passenger (uncredited)

Original Name : Janet Grene

Gender : Female

Character Name : Priest (uncredited)

Original Name : Ollie Ryan

Gender : Male

Character Name : Church Attendee/Airplane Passenger (uncredited)

Original Name : Ian Dillon

Gender : Male

Character Name : Nazi Officer (uncredited)

Original Name : Thomas O’Halloran

Gender : Male

Character Name : Clergyman

Original Name : Dean Panter

Gender : Male

Reviews

Brent Marchant

@Brent_Marchant

2024-12-01

Heroes come in many forms, and, regrettably, they often go unrecognized for their efforts, which is why movies honoring them for their accomplishments can be so vitally important, particularly in attempts at correcting the oversight of being overlooked. However, when it comes to writer-director Todd Komarnicki’s cinematic tribute to Dietrich Bonhoeffer (1906-1945) (Jonas Dassler), a little-recognized German theologian who was sharply critical of the Nazis’ treatment of Jews and imprisoned dissidents during World War II, that noble goal goes largely unfulfilled. To be perfectly honest, this film is dreadfully dull, relying on a lot of preaching and protracted conversations to carry the narrative, not exactly what I would call engaging and compelling viewing. Indeed, if Bonhoeffer was supposedly so influential in spearheading German resistance against the Third Reich and criticism of Germany’s national church for its silence toward and complicity with Adolf Hitler’s policies, his initiatives, at least as portrayed here, aren’t particularly enlightening or instructive. To make matters worse, the picture’s flashback-oriented approach alternating between Bonhoeffer’s final days and events from his past lends little to telling his story, occasionally causing pivotal developments in his life to become more muddled than enlightening. Perhaps this production’s biggest sin, however, is its alleged tampering with the facts, including events that never took place, others whose content was significantly altered and still more for which there are only vague suggestions about their validity but for which substantial proof is lacking. The result is a release where viewers might easily come away from it not knowing what to believe given its fabrications, alterations and lack of coherence. That’s even apparent in the title, whose qualities attributed to the protagonist could be considered specious, at least when it comes to his supposed role as spy and assassin. To its credit, though, there are moments when Bonhoeffer’s outspoken views are presented through powerfully delivered statements (though the same could also readily be said of the words of some of his peers), but they’re too few and far between for my tastes. In addition, Bonhoeffer’s prolific career as a writer goes largely unnoticed, reducing his 34 volumes of work to little more than a footnote and a few passing references. It’s truly sad to see a film that gets things wrong as badly as this one does, especially when it comes to recognizing the work of someone who is said to have had as much impact as he did. Unfortunately, the oversights here continue.

CinemaSerf

@Geronimo1967

2025-03-12

Dietrich Bonhoeffer (Jonas Dassler) is a pacifist pastor who is furious at the acquiescence of the German church with the rise of the Naziism and the establishment of the puppet “Reichskirche”. Unlike many, though, he is prepared to use his position in the pulpit and preach to anyone who will listen of the folly of this plan. Needless to say, this doesn’t go down well and so he has to spend a lot of time out of the country whilst many of those left behind fall victim to persecution. That absence has it’s uses, though, as he hopes to galvanise opinion in both the USA and the UK - a task all the harder when his forebodings fall largely on deaf or unwilling ears. It’s when his colleagues come up with a plan to assassinate their Führer that the threads of his multi-timeline story and his life start to come together and we realise just how perilous his position is when he finally returns to his homeland. The is a true story of a man who dared to fight back in the face of overwhelming odds, indifference and fear - but sadly I just found Dassler didn’t, well, dazzle. Even at his most animated, his characterisation was underwhelming and contributory to this looking more like a high-end television movie rather than an enlightening story of courage and, to a certain extent, faith. The ensemble cast do well enough, but again there isn’t really an anchor role to give it the necessary gravitas either within the church, or amongst his allies. Even Churchill is presented as lacklustre. Bonhoeffer was a jazz lover and that does give us an excuse to indulge in the odd bit of toe-tapping, and the whole story is a savage indictment of complicity when the state gets up on it’s hind legs and mobilises the militia and the militant, but this disappointed, sorry.