Ok, so will you know exactly how this movie will end before even watching it? Yes – it doesn’t take a history buff to be aware of World War II’s existence. Nevertheless, Christian Schwochow’s dramatic thriller, Munich: The Edge of War, remains wholly captivating despite our historic knowledge. A wonderful blend of fact and fiction, the film does a great job of making everything feel authentically urgent. It’s all very taut with plenty of suspenseful intrigue. Overly plodding? Sure, but what you’ll truly care about, above all else, are the characters at hand - fictitious or otherwise. Yes, Jeremy Irons makes for a remarkable Chamberlain (I could literally feel the character’s exhaustion), and Ulrich Matthes is an especially intimidating Hitler (those death stares), but it’s our two young leads who steal the show. Jannis Niewöhner and George MacKay play to each other’s strengths throughout, making their complicated worldly friendship a fascinating one. Niewohner is particularly great, providing subtle hooks to his rich story arc. With a simple look, you can see desperate emotion seeping through. What you won’t see, however, are moments of heart stopping thrills. This isn’t so much Mission: Impossible as it is Tinker, Tailor, Soldier, Spy – although that also has this beat in the action department. Regardless, Munich: The Edge of War stands as a worthy bit of period espionage, even if you know where it’s headed from the get-go.