A good man is on the side of evil. This biographical drama tells about the life of the head of German military intelligence during the Second World War, Admiral Wilhelm Canaris, one of the most influential men of the Third Reich. He is skeptical of the Nazi regime and is trying to plot against Hitler. The main enemy of Canaris is the head of the General Directorate of Imperial Security Reinhard Heydrich. To keep an eye on the admiral, Heydrich tries to infiltrate his entourage with his agent, Irene von Harbeck, the daughter of an arrested officer, who is forced to comply for fear of her father’s life. But soon Irene tells Canaris the truth, and he begins to supply Heydrich with disinformation.
The film was shot at a time when the Germans were trying to shift all responsibility for the crimes of the Nazis exclusively to Hitler, for which they needed to show the presence of positive figures in his entourage. To this end, the figure of Canaris was highly idealized. He is shown as an ideological anti-fascist and a sworn enemy of the Fuehrer, endowed with almost all possible virtues. The wise and astute admiral, whose role is perfectly played by the actor Otto Eduard Hasse, not only cares for his subordinates in a fatherly way, but also secretly helps the enemies of the Reich to escape persecution, without being able to openly oppose the regime he hates. Hardly such a characteristic corresponds to the real Canaris, but thanks to this, the audience can sympathize with the main character, full of the noblest intentions.
A good historical drama about a controversial historical character with excellent acting work.
7 out of 10