Rating summary

Movie		3.5
Video		4.5
Audio		4.5
Extras		2.5
Overall		4.0

Labyrinth of Lies Blu-ray Movie Review

The truth is out there.

Reviewed by Martin Liebman February 11, 2016

Labyrinth of Lies explores the atrocities at Auschwitz, and the people responsible, in a time and place when almost nobody had ever heard the word before, even as the truth is fresh and the perpetrators walk freely amongst the populace. The film tells the story of one young, fresh-faced, wet-behind-the-ears prosecutor who dares to take on the forbidden subject, refuses to see a dark and violent past quietly swept under the rug, and commits himself to a cause much larger than himself. In that regard, it's not a particularly noteworthy movie. Movies and stories of lawyers defying the odds and rising to the challenge of taking on the impossible case abound, but few tackle a subject so ruthlessly dark and inhuman and important as this. The standard operating procedure nuts-and-bolts story elements don't inspire but they do nobly mix with a higher purpose, yielding a movie that's more emotionally powerful than it is dramatically gripping, a perfectly reasonable compromise for a movie that takes on such a darkly challenging subject.

What's in here?

Johann Radmann (Alexander Fehling) is an upstart idealistic and by-the-book prosecutor. He works petty cases but is always hoping for a break that could propel his career beyond the mundane. He catches that break when he hears about an ex-Nazi murder, a member of the Waffen-SS and key figure at Auschwitz, who is now teaching school. Nobody wants the case -- or to even hear of it -- but Radmann digs a bit deeper and finds himself immersed it, unearthing the recent history that's been quietly swept under the rug. Few know the truth about Auschwitz, never mind have any clue what happened there. Soon, Radmann is placed in charge of a wider investigation in which he learns firsthand accounts of the horrors that took place in the camp and targets, amongst others, the infamous Josef Mengele.

Labyrinth of Lies doesn't work on its procedural details but rather its emotional pull. Audiences won't be so much interested in the inside baseball details of the investigation but rather what the investigation means on both the intimate personal levels and the larger social implications of it. The movie certainly spends enough time establishing the journey and building up the raw details of the process, but that's all dwarfed by the much more significant narrative that builds as the story of what happened at Auschwitz comes into focus, often in details painful for the audience to hear and certainly painful for the characters to introduce, share, and by strength of the performances, relive. The movie's single greatest triumph comes from the way its cast demonstrates a believable emotional resonance with the stories. It's not about facts and figures on pieces of paper but the very visceral, raw testimony that, the audience believes, truly does hurt the characters, both those who experienced it and those who merely hear it alike. The film refrains from hammering home its point in flashback scenes that depict the deplorable conditions at the camp. The spoken word is enough, and it's arguably more effective to bear witness to the lingering, deep pains than to see the pains of the moment in full detail.

The film's emotional draw is supported by excellent workmanship and performances. Director Giulio Ricciarelli is rightly content to sit back and frame the action without drawing attention away from it. The movie is attractive in its simplicity and ability to maximize location while minimizing visual intrusion into the narrative. On the other hand, his script, which he co-wrote with Elisabeth Bartel, doesn't always maximize potential. The movie's key emotional moments are well done, but much of the technical and cruder plot advancement elements fail to command the same level of vivid detail. Much of that is the movie's narrative focus and its more deliberate build, but at two hours the more mundane, procedural scenes sometimes bog the experience down. Performances, however, range from solid to soaring. Lead Alexander Fehling demonstrates superb range and a firm grasp of both the character's personal growth and journey and understanding of the burden he carries as the man at the center of the investigation. It's compelling work and, even if his center storyline isn't particularly novel, his ability to evolve it both on his terms and on the story's terms is impressive. He quickly loses that young, idealistic glow about him but maintains the same level of curiosity and determination, though more vulnerable to the ways of the world as the process emotionally weighs him down and erodes his early film bubble from which he wishes to escape.

Labyrinth of Lies Blu-ray Movie, Video Quality 

Labyrinth of Lies features a steady and attractive 1080p transfer. The source reveals clean, refined details and a pleasant cinematic texture. City exteriors are particularly attractive. Heavily textured building façades, brick streets, and the grasses growing in between are showcases for rougher and tangible texturing. Basic clothes and faces are effortlessly revealing and complex as well. Colors are attractive and varied. There's no discernible tint to the image, favoring a neutral blend of bright clothing hues, paints, and natural greens. Black levels hold firm, revealing positive shadow detail and depth. Flesh tones are likewise full and healthy. Source artifacts and compression issues are never a factor. This is a very attractive presentation from Sony.

Labyrinth of Lies Blu-ray Movie, Audio Quality 

Labyrinth of Lies enjoys a naturally involved and enveloping German language DTS-HD Master Audio 5.1 lossless soundtrack. There's a positive sense of space throughout the track. Dialogue enjoys natural reverberation through many of the more open areas in the film. More generalized dialogue enjoys proper center placement and excellent vocal definition and prioritization. The sense of sonic depth and space is impressive. Likewise, natural ambient effects gently penetrate the stage from all directions. Birds, wind, and light city din are all pleasantly filling. Music plays with positive instrumental detail and vocal clarity, when applicable. Wide front end placement and gently supportive surround details provide a rich listening experience.

Labyrinth of Lies Blu-ray Movie, Special Features and Extras 

Labyrinth of Lies contains several extras, including a commentary and deleted scenes. A voucher for a UV digital copy is included with purchase.

• Audio Commentary: Writer/Director Giulio Ricciarelli and Actor Alexander Fehling discuss narrative structure, performances, characters, sets and locations, the story arc and themes, editing, and plenty of interesting tidbits that support the movie's technical and narrative ends. Note that the track is in English.
• Deleted Scenes (1080p): Some Advice (0:45), Chocolate Ice Cream (0:44), An Affidavit (0:58), Researching Mengele (1:22), Flat Tire (0:37), They Had a Choice (0:52), and Radmann Alone (0:50).
• LA Jewish Film Festival Q&A with Giulio Ricciarelli and Alexander Fehling (1080p, 43:01): The writer/director and actor sit down with Moderator Hilary Helstein to discuss a number of topics, including film origins, the real story, preparing for the movie and working with a difficult and important subject, key moments in the film, reaction to the movie in Germany, music in the movie, the archive location, influences and inspirations, and more. Like the commentary, this piece is in English.
• Labyrinth of Lies Theatrical Trailer (1080p, 1:55).
• Previews (1080p): Additional Sony titles.

Labyrinth of Lies Blu-ray Movie, Overall Score and Recommendation 

Labyrinth of Lies creates a deep emotional connection between the horrors it recounts and its characters and audience alike. Much of the rest of the movie is made of rather standard stuff, but the picture's thematic currents, as well as steady direction and strong performances, carry it to satisfaction. Sony's Blu-ray offers a standard allotment of extra content in support of excellent video and audio. Recommended.