Starring
Lily James, Jai Courtney, Christopher Plummer, Janet McTeer, Eddie
Marsan, Ben Daniels, Mark Dexter. Directed by David Leveaux. (2016,
107 min).
The
Nazis have recently invaded Holland, where Germany's former leader,
Kaiser Wilhelm (Christopher Plummer) is living in exile. While he has no political power during the Nazi campaign, they are concerned
with reports that a Dutch spy is lurking around to kill him. So
Captain Brandt (Jai Courtney) is charged with protecting Kaiser and
his wife.
On
the day of his arrival at their mansion, he meets house-servant
Mieke (Lily James). In a couple of rather graphically gratuitous
moments, they have explicit sex before even learning each other's
names. Just when you think The Exception is going to be one of those
movies, along comes the plot, which plays its hand earlier than one
might expect...
 |
| Kaiser never loses at Risk ('cause he cheats). |
Brandt
is the 'exception' of the title, an SS officer who is appalled at
what the Nazis are doing, and tormented by nightmares of the horrors he's witnessed. In a revelation that'll surprise no one, Mieke turns out to be
the spy the Nazis are looking for, in addition to being Jewish.
Kaiser himself, while still loyal to his country, does not approve of
the Nazis' methods. Though a tad eccentric, he's kindly, sympathetic
toward the Dutch and ultimately horrified upon learning some of
Heinrich Himmler's atrocities.
 |
| "Come on, lady, it was one hotel towel. What's the big deal?" |
The
film takes time establishing its players, but despite their
initial full-frontal encounters, the 'romance' between Brandt &
Mieke doesn't resonate all that much. Still, Courtney and James are appealing enough to make us care about them. Plummer, on the other hand,
effortlessly steals every scene he's in. Though his role is far from
a cameo, it's too bad Kaiser isn't the central character.
Elsewhere, the film is relatively slow-going until the final act,
which provides a fair amount of suspense and comes to a satisfying
conclusion.
Those
looking for the usual action and romance often found in a WWII drama
may be disappointed. The Exception doesn't have much of
either, despite a few fleeting efforts to establish its two leads
through decidedly non-erotic sex. However, the story itself is just
interesting enough to keep us watching, as is Plummer's wonderful
performance.
EXTRA
KIBBLES
FEATURETTE:
"Behind the Scenes of The Exception"
AUDIO
COMMENTARY - By director David Leveaux
DIGITAL
COPY
KITTY CONSENSUS:
NOT BAD...THOUGH NOT EXCEPTIONAL (cat humor)
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