From the same mind that made “Elf” and “Sully” the new release of “Bonhoeffer: Pastor. Spy. Assassin.” hit the theaters this fall on Nov. 18th. This biopic brings the story of Dietrich Bonhoeffer to light –but first a brief history lesson. Dietrich Bonhoeffer was born on February 4th, 1906, and died by hanging on April 9, 1945. He was a German pastor and author known for his books “The Cost of Discipleship” and “Life Together.”
The movie received a 63% on Rotten Tomatoes, a 7/10 on IMDb, and a 93% on Fandango. “Bonhoeffer” has gotten mostly good reviews such as one written by Donna Richardson on a Google page for the movie “Those of the Christian faith will appreciate his coming of age spiritually, while those of other or no religious persuasion will not be bored or made uncomfortable by it; it is adequately–and even beautifully presented–without being preachy. The acting is impeccable, the set and costuming correct for the times and cultures portrayed, and the characters are both realistically and sensitively portrayed. Without being plodding or getting bogged down in details, the plot successfully shows how Bonhoeffer developed as a man, a pacifist, a passionate Christ-follower, and a true hero of the times through the events that made him willing to be part of an attempt to assassinate Adolph Hitler and to willingly die for his faith rather than remain safe while others suffered.”
When I went to watch it during Thanksgiving break with my family. I was pleasantly surprised at how drawn I was to the story. Similarly, I was drawn to the story of “Oppenheimer.” I thought the story of his life was very impactful because of the way he lived through his faith. He never forgot who he was as a disciple of Christ, and it shows how he acted towards others. Because in the movie, there was a part where he was in Harlem, and he needed to get a room for the night. He was able to get the room, but when his black friend came up, the man who owned the place started threatening both of them with a gun. This was an eye-opening experience that brought the reality of the world outside of Germany. Harlem was also the place where he really discovered his faith for the first time. Those experiences start to show how the German church has been failing its congregations by making the church more about politics than God. This becomes more evident as Hitler rises to power, and the head bishop talks about Hitler as if he were God. Bonhoeffer was determined to do everything he could to speak out about this; he even went in front of the entire congregation to call out the German church because of its faults. This would later set the course for the rest of his life.
Although others find it to be somewhat disappointing such as this review from CJ Johnson “What a steaming pile of garbage. Religious propaganda film. Which is 100% ok. I just want you to know it going in. The single most deceptive title and trailer ever made. Preacher – yes 99% of the story. Spy .5% Attempted Assassin .5%. Had I gone in with different expectations it would have been different. That being said – I wouldn’t have gone in. I have a new contender for worst movie I’ve seen – mostly because of the expectations that were not delivered. Acting OK, story OK, morality OK – accuracy to marketing expectations – total fail.”
Throughout the movie you get glimpses of where he is currently, it shows him being in a prison of some variety. One day he gets a cellmate who is rather negative, but his attitude towards God and his situation never changed. This shows what kind of man he was. Even in a prison cell he was kind and was spreading the word of God any way he could. Which in my eyes is a true missionary for God. The final moments of the film before his death, (yes he dies), he had a version of a church service where he talked about who his God was. He said the lord’s prayer and they ate bread, and drank from the same cup. When he knew his final moment were upon him he could only say one thing. “This is the end—for me, the beginning of life.” Which meant he was ready to let the lord reclaim him, and be with him eternally in heaven.
All of that shows just how powerful someone can be if they know who they are in Christ, and are willing to live for him. This movie really put a perspective on things for me. Because Bonhoeffer didn’t live for his own leisure or pleasure. He was living for God, and loving other as God would. I personally think that everyone should watch this movie because of how powerful his story is. Now I would rate the movie a 8.7/10 because they did skip a big part of his life. Because he had a fiancé, Maria von Wedemeyer Weller. But my father helped me understand why they had to skip over that he said “His story could easily take up a 6 hour movie, but with such a limited time frame there’s only so much you can do. So it’s natural that they had to cut out something like that.” He has read Bonhoeffer’s “The Cost of Discipleship”, “Life Together”, and Eric Metaxas’ biography “Bonhoeffer.”Overall I think the movie has an incredible story, amazing acting, power messages, and the whole thing comes together with God. That’s a great movie if you ask me.
