A decent enough telling of the true story of Georg Elser. A solid enough biopic that just seems to be playing it too safe.

Elser – Er hätte die Welt verändert ist ein deutscher Spielfilm aus dem Jahr 2015. Christian Friedel spielt den Widerstandskämpfer Georg Elser, und dessen Attentat 1939 auf Adolf Hitler im Münchner Bürgerkeller. Der Film will eine kurze Lebensbeschreibung geben, ab den Jahr der Machtergreifung 1933 bis zu seiner Erschießung im KZ Dachau am 9. April 1945. Christian Friedel gibt ein sehr gutes Bild von Georg Elser ab. Das Drehbuch stammte von Fred Breinersdorfer und Léonie-Claire Breinersdorfer. Und Oliver Hirschbiegel (Regie) setzte die Geschichte in herrlichen Bildern um.

One of the best and perhaps most genuin of many WW2 films, based on the true and amazing story of Georg Elser, one of several people who tried to assassinate Hitler with a bomb and nearly succeeded, but the only one who did it all by himself. 13 minutes is the English title and it describes the time frame he missed with in his attempt to kill Der Führer. The German orginal title is Elser, saying more about the actual film. The plot is basically a depiction of his life as a craftsman and factory worker in the time before the outbreak of the war, well balanced as a retrospective to the assassination attempt, capture and the following interrigation by the Gestapo and SS. However, the film has a weakness in an overempasized focus on Elser's complicated and secret relation to the married Elsa Härlen, this at the expence of a wider narrative about his anti war conviction and political views, along with his impression of and view on the Nazi regime and Hitler, the motives to his ultimate destined decision and the actual core of the story.

Lost its way at times, but an entertaining film, from a rarely explored historic event

Has Oliver Hirschbiegel really made "Downfall?!"

I remember my German professor from college telling us about this man. Herr Kaufmann had been in Army Intelligence during WWII. I found his story to be one of the most fascinating. Only 13 minutes would have made all of the difference in the world! That they let him go unexcuted for such a long time amazes me. The performances were excellent, as was the direction and the feel of the period here. The parallels between the period this film depicts and our current time is frightening--the willful failure to understand reality is the same.

Watched this film not knowing what I was going to see..This film is the 1st perspective I have evee seen from German film makers on Nazi Germany... this man was about to save MILLIONS of INNOCENT lives!!.. It documents his life after he was caught and the events in his life leading to the actual bombing. BRAVE MAN.. just missed his target by 13 minutes. 13 to rewrite history. POWERFUL

13 Minutes, a Review IN A WORLD...OF WORN OUT SUPER HEROES, TIRED REMAKES AND SEQUELs, COMES A FILM SO SHOCKING MULTIPLEXES ALL OVER THE NATION WOULDN'T SHOW IT. FROM A COUNTRY THAT BROUGHT US THE NAZIS, RELIABLE CARS AND SCHADENFREUDE COMES a film about a socialist trying to kill Hitler in 1939 in Munich?! 13 Minutes is a film so audacious that it shows that socialists were not always the bad guys. The Nazis and Socialists, along with your standard capitalist parties, were fighting for control of the hearts, minds and power in Germany, we'll say since the end of World War I because that's the point in which 13 Minutes first mentions the conflict. Spoiler alert!: the Nazis were elected to power and systematically started to remove their opponents through work camps, torture, and their favorite, murder. Mild mannered carpenter and socialist sympathizer Georg Elser, played adroitly by Christian Friedel, sees the atrocities of the Nazis. Like many Germans, he decided to resists. In his case, he planned to blow up Hitler, a fantasy many of us had in our youth. We learn all of this right in the beginning, in the trailer actually. What unfolds is the Nazis attempt to understand how this "lowly carpenter" could have done this alone. Their technique for "understanding" include various forms of torture that would have made Spanish Inquisitors sit up and take notice. What also unfolds is the cause of Elser coming to such a radical decision and his many romances, including the love of his life. I assume that more of us would have found a way to flee Germany when the Nazis started killing people in our town. I would have chosen the "flight" route myself. Not good old, crafty Elser, who patriotically, as the film plays it, decided to take action. He planted a bomb that missed his target by...some amount of minutes. I don't want to spoil it for you. The acting is one of the best things about the film. From the bit parts, to the incredibly scary Nazis (IT has nothing on these Nazis), to the love interests, to the towns people, to the socialists, they were all well played. Moreover, the portrayal of the Hitler youth was more frightening than anything I saw in IT. The costuming and settings were impeccable and the filming framed the action in a simple yet interesting manner. It is German cinema, after all, from the director who brought us the gut-wrenching "Downfall." The music was not overwrought or cloying like Hans Zimmer's "Dunkirk" soundtrack. Overall, the production values show the best of modern cinema. The parts that don't work could have been fixed with one more pass through the script. There are scenes where the leads, Elser specifically, act out of character. A line or two, five minutes more of screen time, would have solved these issues. While we know the character of Elser, his actions don't match that character in two important ways. Most people won't notice, and I whole-heartedly recommend 13 Minutes. Rating: Pay Full Price. ?? Peace, Tex Shelters

If this film doesn't get the foreign film Oscar something is wrong. A great movie about a great man no one has ever heard of. Our local theater calls it a documentary. No, it's a drama of the finest kind. 44% of viewers didn't like it. That's about the same level of support for Trump, and if you're a Trump supporter, you're not going to like this picture of you and your kind vilifying an authentic hero, a man who demonstrates the existential truth.

I consider myself very lucky to have seen this film, and I encourage others to see it as well. Knowing conflict can't be found in the attempt itself, the film finds conflict through the eyes of its protagonist, Georg Elser. Christian Friedel gives an amazing performance as a man who sees what is wrong in this world (for him and/or those around him) and wants to do whatever it takes to make it right. Go see this movie and be inspired to do the right thing.

I thought it was well done. The torture was hard to take. And the potrayal of police inspector Arthur Nebe as a decent human is apparently historically inaccurate. Otherwise I learned a lot about the life and motivations of a historically significant figure whose story deserves to be told, and is told well here.

Great movie! The cinematography was beautiful and the storyline captivating! A must see!

13 Minutes offers a compelling performance from Christian Friedel and although it's hard to watch due to the subject, I found this film to be a solid and decent film based on a true story that people who love to study history and World War II will enjoy this movie.

Better than Inglourious Basterds and Anthropoid in terms of character study, this tells the extraordinary story of Georg Elser, a genius mechanic and carpenter (who was also a musician) who single-handedly came within 13 minutes of assassinating Hitler and thereby saving tens of millions of lives. From the opening scene behind the credits one is drawn into Elser's world and gutsiness. He is not a loner and the film explores his relationships with lovers, friends, family, and god, but in the end, he is alone and brave. The film also portrays the SS machinery and crimes of the Nazi state. The story is well told, using the flashback device with new freshness. Excellent acting and cinematography draw the viewer in to feel as if you are experiencing everything--from the delight of a summer's day splashing in a lake to the horror of being tortured. Georg Elser should be remembered by everyone and the people who put this film together have performed a great service.

it's fully describe the horror of nazi and i truly like it

Um rapaz coloca uma bomba para matar Hitler, mas ele sai 13 minutos antes da bomba explodir... os Militares Alemães torturam o infeliz pois seus superiores querem saber quem o ajudou a construir e planejar a explosão, porém ele é torturado e mostra que foi capaz de fazer sozinho, porém os superiores não concordam e matam o Oficial responsável...

10/23/17 DVD Netflix A great story of a little known historical event and individual. It is amazing that there are people like Elser who have the courage to face what they felt needed to be done and the commitment o suffer the consequences in their lives. Well told and worth seeing.

We are currently witnessing the rise of far-right and far-left political parties, not just in Germany but in many other countries around the world. Director Oliver Hirschbiegel (DOWNFALL) revisits Nazi Germany with a story that is based on true events. In November 1939, Georg Elser planned and carried out an elaborate plot to kill Adolph Hitler and other high-ranking Nazi leaders at the Bürgerbräukeller in Munich. But Hitler left the beerhall earlier than expected and survived the attack. Had he stayed there another 13 minutes, the world would be a very different place today. 13 MINUTES is generally well made (save for a hallucinogenic sequence that seems terribly out of place) but the film suffers from a lack of suspense. We know how it ends. To compensate, father-daughter screenwriting team of Fred (SOPHIE SCHOLL) and Léonie-Claire Breinersdorfer, offer up a hefty amount of Elser's backstory, from his days as a carefree, accordion player to his affair with the unhappily married Elsa, which is shown in flashbacks. The film stars Christian Friedel who may be best known for his role as the School Teacher in the 2009 film, THE WHITE RIBBON. All in all though, 13 MINUTES is a good film that sheds light on a piece of history that few people know about.

13 minutos para matar a Hitler [2015]

Oliver Hirschbiegl, som imponerede verden med Der Untergang og derefter tabte sin hollywoodkarriere på gulvet med The Invasion og Diana, er vendt tilbage til sit hjemland og modersmål med en film om manden, der næsten dræbte Hitler i 1938. Spredte flashbacks fortalt med nydelige billeder giver et interessant indblik i, hvordan det var at leve på bøhlandet i Det Tredje Rige, men vi kommer ikke rigtig ind under huden på den gådefulde hovedperson og hans motiver til at udføre det attentat, der desværre ikke lykkedes.