_The Counterfeiters_: The _Heeb_ Review

Austria’s The Counterfeiters, which hits theaters today, follows in the tradition of another Oscar-nominated Holocaust film, Schindler’s List for at its center, we find a removed and callow egoist who eventually wins us over. This time, however, that character happens to be Jewish.

Salomon Sorowitsch, played by Karl Markovics, is the consummate con artist with unprecedented talents in the art of imitating any and all types of currency. As a result, he is able to navigate safely through life during the Nazi reign. His character arc reminds the viewer that not everyone went through this most horrific of experiences, immediately settling into the role of a hapless victim and a we’re-all-in-this-together attitude. It’s easy for him to feel this way in the "Golden Cage," a set of barracks reserved for the talented few who can help the Nazis with Operation Bernhard, the production of fake British Pounds and U.S. Dollars intended for the ruin of those countries’ economies. The conditions Sorowitsch experiences, provide a secondhand perspective on the atrocities that abound, not unlike Adrien Brody’s hauntingly removed Wladyslaw Szpilman inThe Pianist.

The Counterfeiters is a gripping film with the remarkable willingness to stare into the abyss that is the Holocaust through the eyes of a conniving, calculating crook. When a man like Sorowitsch gains a perspective on the value and honor of human life, it is that much more meaningful.

What do you think?

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8 Responses

  1. LiberalWhiteBoy

    “stare into the abyss that is the Holocaust through the eyes of a conniving, calculating crook”

    Gosh this could just as easily be a story about the people of modern day Israel(The West Bank and Gaza).

    Reply
  2. mrnhghts

    Hey LiberalWhiteBoy, isn’t it all “occupation” to you anyway? Just curious — how many kefiyah-themed articles of clothing do you own?

    Reply
  3. LiberalWhiteBoy

    Not a one mm…did you mean to say “disputed” or didn’t you get the memo. I have long thought the road map to peace should include Palestinian Casinos. Casinos mean you never have to say you’re sorry.

    Reply
  4. the_self-hating_gay_jew

    Liberal, what are you doing here?
    On ANOTHER NOTE, Congtatulations to the makers of this amazing movie on their Oscar win!!!!

    Reply
  5. the_self-hating_gay_jew

    Liberal, what are you doing here?
    On ANOTHER NOTE, Congtatulations to the makers of this amazing movie on their Oscar win!!!!

    Reply
  6. Heeb_in_Hollywood

    The Holocaust Oscar streak continues! Pauly Shore could star in a film about the Holocaust and it’d win an Oscar.

    Reply
  7. Brian Abrams
    dreidel_hustler

    Great idea. It could be a buddy comedy with a Baldwin. Someone should fast-track this one!

    Reply
  8. iconic

    Buddy comedy good, dreidel_hustler .
    But can’t use the Baldwin.
    Holocaust film.
    Baldwins too fat.

    Reply

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