The Infiltrator

This film was exciting and very suspenseful. It kept my interest throughout. If you like Nazi-related films, you will want to see this one. I found it thought-provoking also in how it portrayed human emotions and sensibilities. It was a worthwhile view. When I originally saw it scheduled on cable, I intended NOT to watch it; I ended up catching a glimpse of it as I was switching the channels and became mesmerized.

The topic of Neo-Naziism has been dealt with ad nauseum. I originally felt that this would be another predictable re-hash of the subject matter. A few things attracted me: 1) the acting was really good; 2) the graphic visual images left no room for debate; 3) it was very well written.

It's definitely worth an inspection.

Apparently that's the moral of this movie. The movie could have been an interesting depiction of a true story, but it isn't. Mainly coz the screenwriters and director have done such a messy (and in one instance, downright vulgar) job, that a child wont believe the ludicrous goings-on in this braindead movie. The guy meets his ethnic friends in broad daylight while working undercover as a proNazi. He tells the Nazis he represents rich people interested in the cause, and the Nazis believe him straight out without even asking for any credentials. And that's just the tip of the iceberg. All this is explained, in a not-so-subtle case of begging the question, by a dialogue about the Nazis which goes "These guys believe anything.. Greed has made them blind". Or shaving the head has made them stupid.

Good movie a saw when I was a teenager.

The sad reality.

after seeing the movie, I had a chance to read the book that the movie was based upon.

Of course no movie can reproduce a book perfectly; there just isn't time. But the basics of the film and the book match up-- the smoke screen magazine "The Right Way", the eager fake millionaire, the snuff film, Hitler's goblet, the rallies, befriending Nazi skinheads...

And while Oliver Platt doesn't look exactly like Yaron Svoray, he is as believable as an Aryan as Svoray.

the book, "In Hitler's Shadow" includes many photos of Svoray at Nazi rallies, hanging out with Skins, and has a picture of the "investor" with Hitler's valet.

So, unless the book itself is a complete fabrication of lies, the movie does a pretty good job of summing up the story.

I'm not sure why the other reviewer found the movie so hard to believe as it is a true story based off of Yaron Svoray's life and his book, "In Hitler's Shadow". Yaron is an undercover writer who was able to 'infiltrate' a Nazi party and have them believe he is writing to support their cause. Working with the Simon Wiesenthal Center they attempt to setup Nazis in order to give concrete proof to the German government that the groups exist and who their leaders are.

The acting was superb, and Oliver Platt, as usual, delivered a genuine performance. You truly felt for the characters in the movie. The movie did a great job of showing the Nazi influence in all levels of the public and government. They made it a point to show that not all Germans are Nazis with a few German citizens criticizing the Nazis in public. The movie shows the situation from all sides (Nazi, Jew, immigrants, etc) without trying to hide facts or issues.

There are several lessons to be learned from a well done movie like this, I wouldn't want to ruin it for everyone, see the movie, its well worth a rental.