Movies #1 - Bonhoeffer: Pastor. Spy. Assassin

Last Sunday night, I went out with my family to Hoyts at Northland to see the new movie Bonhoeffer: Pastor. Spy. Assassin. I was curious to see the film because it has divided American Christian critics. 

The Good

The film has been praised for bringing Dietrich Bonhoeffer's story to a broader audience and shedding light on his courageous stand against tyranny. The production quality is okay, and the story is compelling and inspiring. Variety highlighted that the movie "feels more like an uncomfortably timely cautionary tale with unsettling echoes of current events” (It’s hard not to think of Trump, etc.). 

Our boys loved the film and were inspired by Bonhoeffer’s courage as a radical Christian to take a stand against an evil regime.

The Bad

Despite its strengths, the film’s biggest weakness is that it takes creative liberties, misrepresenting Bonhoeffer's true character and actions. Sometimes I don’t care too much about a bit of historical massaging for the sake of a good story, but in this case, it was hard not to get irritated in the scene when Bonhoeffer enthusiastically and quickly joined the plot to kill Hitler without any moral or faith struggle. Promotional materials depicting Bonhoeffer with a gun have been criticised by his descendants and scholars for distorting his legacy. Even the title “Pastor. Spy. Assassin” is pulling the long bow – as my literature teacher Sandy Curnow would say. There’s also a scene of Bonhoeffer playing Jazz piano in a club in New York, which is fun to imagine but just a Christian Hollywood fabrication. 

The U–S–of–A

In the U.S., political factions from the Right and the Left have appropriated Bonhoeffer's legacy to support divergent agendas. In these polarised times, everyone’s political enemy is a Nazi, and everyone wants to have their Bonhoeffer moment. The film was released in America just before the 2024 election in a highly charged atmosphere.

For Us

For us Australian audiences, it will be received differently. Thankfully, we are less polarised and should be able to watch the movie without the same partisan sensitivities and overtones. 

Further Reading

Despite all the hoopla, I think it’s worth a watch – feel free to wait for it on streaming. It’s a good soft introduction to a very significant and inspiring Christian figure from history.   

If you want to go deeper into Bonhoeffer try:

• "Dietrich Bonhoeffer: A Biography" by Eberhard Bethge: Considered the definitive biography, offering an in-depth look at Bonhoeffer's life and thought. 

• "Strange Glory: A Life of Dietrich Bonhoeffer" by Charles Marsh: This biography provides a nuanced exploration of Bonhoeffer's personal and theological development.

• Podcast - “The Rise of Bonhoeffer.”High-quality storytelling from leading Bonhoeffer scholars.