Philandering Nazis, saucy servants, preposterous subterfuge — there's a touch of 'Allo 'Allo! in this espionage wartime thriller.

| Oct 13, 2022

The Exception never lets itself drown in the horror that we all know's just off-screen

| Jan 14, 2022

A perfectly adequate World War II story that features one tremendous performance and little else.

| Original Score: B- | Aug 10, 2021

Fuelled by strong performances and suspense, The Exception is persuasive in its belief that even the most casual cruelty can have potentially devastating consequences.

| Original Score: 3/5 | Jan 18, 2021

Even if you like historical romances, this is likely to be an exception.

| Original Score: 2.5/5 | Sep 24, 2020

It is a consistently entertaining and involving drama that never quite achieves the tension-filled heights that would allow it to soar.

| Original Score: 3.0/4.0 | Sep 7, 2020

This is a classic example of a host of talented people missing the mark because the resulting film places its emphasis on the least interesting characters.

| May 11, 2020

There are some good performances to enjoy and even Jai Courntey's awkward German accent passes the bar.

| Feb 4, 2020

While the film definitely has some problems, there is enough good to outweigh the bad. The movie is strikingly beautiful, and the actors fully commit themselves to the art.

| Original Score: 3.5/5 | Sep 13, 2018

An entertainingly well crafted period drama with a fine performance by an exceptional performance by Christopher Plummer.

| Original Score: 3.5/5 | Aug 30, 2018

While the musical score is often melodramatic and intrusive, the look of the film is distinctive and appealing. It's a good effort and an enjoyable movie.

| Original Score: 3/5 | Aug 27, 2018

While the acting is muted, the direction plodding, the suspense weak and the rude bits unnecessary, what might annoy WW2 purists here is the fact that this is all highly fictionalised.

| Original Score: 5/10 | May 18, 2018

Plummer and Janet McTeer, as the Kaiser's wife, bring their customary class to proceedings. But they can't save a tepid mishmash that seems undecided whether it's wartime romance, spy drama or fanciful political fable.

| Original Score: 2/5 | Dec 26, 2017

When the feature's various aspects do shine - the individual performances, and the thoughtful way that each of the three main characters are forced to confront their place in the conflict, for example - it remains involving.

| Nov 22, 2017

It's a clunky espionage thriller crossed with Downton period drama.

| Original Score: 2/5 | Oct 1, 2017

Plummer plays the elderly Kaiser with a mixture of arrogance, roguish wit and vulnerability and completely steals the show.

| Original Score: 3/5 | Oct 1, 2017

The ridiculousness levels are very high.

| Original Score: 2/5 | Sep 29, 2017

The film moves at a good lick and it's directed with a light touch by David Leveaux.

| Original Score: 3/5 | Sep 29, 2017

The dialogue's sometimes clunky, and allusions to the atrocities of war are glossed over. But if you're in the mood for a sexy, pacy period thriller, it does the job.

| Original Score: 3/5 | Sep 28, 2017

Freely adapted from Alan Judd's novel The Kaiser's Last Kiss, The Exception is the kind of historical adaptation the British excel at, resulting in so many recent television series that keep people glued to Netflix and Hulu.

| Sep 6, 2017