Close Menu
  • Login
  • Support Us
  • Newsletter
  • News
  • Features
  • Interviews
  • Reviews
    • Video Games
      • Previews
      • PC
      • PS5
      • Xbox Series X/S
      • Nintendo Switch
      • Xbox One
      • PS4
      • Tabletop
    • Film
    • TV
    • Anime
    • Comics
      • BOOM! Studios
      • Dark Horse Comics
      • DC Comics
      • IDW Publishing
      • Image Comics
      • Indie Comics
      • Marvel Comics
      • Oni-Lion Forge
      • Valiant Comics
      • Vault Comics
  • Podcast
  • More
    • Event Coverage
    • BWT Recommends
    • RSS Feeds
Facebook X (Twitter) Instagram
Support Us
But Why Tho?
RSS Facebook X (Twitter) YouTube
Trending:
  • Features
    Cosmic Spider-Man card details

    [EXCLUSIVE PREVIEW] The Spider-Man Set Gets A 5-Color Legendary Spider

    09/02/2025
    Lee Corso from College Football GameDay in EA Sports games

    EA Sports Always Understood Lee Corso’s Legacy

    09/01/2025
    Peacemaker Season 2 Episode 2 But Why Tho 10

    Spider-Man Is Coming To Magic And It’s Just Like The Comics

    08/29/2025
    Star Wars Visions Volume 3 Black

    ‘Black’ Sets The Tone For A Bold New Mixtape In ‘Star Wars Visions: Volume 3’

    08/28/2025
    Olivia Colman in The Roses

    ‘The Roses’ Is A Reimagining, Not A Remake, And That’s Why It Works So Well

    08/27/2025
  • Indie Games
  • K-Dramas
  • Netflix
  • Apple TV+
But Why Tho?
Home » Film » REVIEW: ‘Munich: The Edge of War,’ – Showcases the Dangers of Hope

REVIEW: ‘Munich: The Edge of War,’ – Showcases the Dangers of Hope

Charles HartfordBy Charles Hartford01/21/20224 Mins ReadUpdated:01/04/2023
Munich The Edge of War - But Why Tho
Share
Facebook Twitter Pinterest Reddit WhatsApp Email

Munich The Edge of War - But Why Tho

Munich: The Edge of War is a political thriller streaming on Netflix. In Europe, 1938, a war between Germany and the allied nations of Britain and France looks all but inevitable. Hitler is threatening to mobilize his army to take back a region of neighboring Czechoslovakia that was annexed from Germany by the Treaty of Versaille, which ended World War I. But there are those in Britain who still believe that peace is possible. There are those who still cling to hope.

Get BWT in your inbox!

Subscribe to our weekly newsletter and get the latest and greated in entertainment coverage.
Click Here

Get BWT in your inbox!

Subscribe to our weekly newsletter and get the latest and greated in entertainment coverage.
Click Here

As Germany, France, and Britain prepare to meet in Munich to settle the dispute of the disputed lands, a German agent is given a classified document that proves Hitler’s sole goal is European domination and that he will do whatever he has to achieve his goal. Now, with time running out, the agent must reach out to an estranged friend who works in the British government in an attempt to get the document to British Prime Minister Neville Chamberlain before he signs an agreement with Hitler that may well doom Europe to war.

It is hard to frame a story within the events of Europe’s political situation in the late 1930s without it getting completely engulfed by the larger personalities of the day. While Munich: The Edge of War does its best to keep the viewer focused on its star characters that scuttle behind the scenes attempting to change the course of the world, they are consistently lost whenever one of the historical personalities takes the stage. Though the fact that the viewer already knows that the attempts to sway Chamberlain’s mind about signing the agreement with Hitler will fail doesn’t make that task any easier.

While the movie tries to sell itself as a political thriller, the key aspect of the movie that overshadows the tense spy moments is its analysis of hope. And more precisely, the dangers of clinging to it relentlessly.

This look at the perils of hope comes most clearly through the personage of Neville Chamberlain. Chamberlain, (played by the always phenomenal Jeremy Irons) refuses to believe that there is no hope left for peace. Even when damning evidence that he is being manipulated and tricked is brought before him, he insists they must continue to hope. While the movie does an excellent job of framing this need to hope as a fruit of the trauma experienced living through the previous war, the movie itself makes it clear in no uncertain terms how wrong Chamberlain is. Believing that you can bring about authentic change through negotiations when you are negotiating with someone uninterested in any such change is the highest of follies. For that reason alone, I cannot help but feel like this movie’s core perspective of blind hope is extremely relevant for the modern-day when we find our political leaders continuing Chamberlain’s path of blindly hoping things will get better.

My biggest complaint with how Munich: The Edge of War frames its historical aspects comes at the extreme end of the movie. Just before the credits roll, text appears explaining how Chamberlain’s much desire and dearly bought peace only lasts one year. It goes on to state that, because of this year bought, the allies are better prepared to face Hitler’s war machine when the time comes. This feels like a bizarre attempt to spin good out of what was a diplomatic failure on every level—as if the stall for time was the end goal all along. Especially when one considers the historical evidence that suggests the German Army would have been dealt a severe bloody nose had it been forced to take the disputed lands rather than having them and by extension the rest of Czechoslovakia, gifted to them.

So while Munich: The Edge of War attempts to construct a political thriller surrounding one of the most infamous diplomatic moments in modern history, it ultimately fails to do so. And while it delivers a more potent warning about the dangers of clinging to hope, even when it has been made abundantly clear that hope is gone and you must accept a new truth, this message fails to salvage the movie from its lackluster focal point.

Munich: The Edge of War is streaming now on Netflix.

Munich: The Edge of War
  • 5/10
    Rating - 5/10
5/10

TL;DR

So while Munich: The Edge of War attempts to construct a political thriller surrounding one of the most infamous diplomatic moments in modern history, it ultimately fails to do so. And while it delivers a more potent warning about the dangers of clinging to hope, even when it has been made abundantly clear that hope is gone and you must accept a new truth, this message fails to salvage the movie from its lackluster focal point.

Share. Facebook Twitter Pinterest LinkedIn WhatsApp Reddit Email
Previous ArticleREVIEW: ‘Supernatural Academy’ Offers a Great but Over-Packed Story
Next Article SUNDANCE 2022: ‘All That Breathes’ Is a High Soaring Masterpiece
Charles Hartford
  • X (Twitter)

Lifelong geek who enjoys comics, video games, movies, reading and board games . Over the past year I’ve taken a more active interest in artistic pursuits including digital painting, and now writing. I look forward to growing as a writer and bettering my craft in my time here!

Related Posts

Choi Gyu-ri, Shin Eun-Soo in Love Untangled
7.5

REVIEW: ‘Love Untangled’ Is Just Adorable

08/31/2025
Austin Butler in Caught Stealing
8.5

REVIEW: ‘Caught Stealing’ Marks An Exciting Pivot for Darren Aronofsky

08/27/2025
Margaret Qualley stars as Honey O' Donahue in the film Honey Don't
8.5

REVIEW: ‘Honey Don’t!’ Is A Genius Work Of Subversion And Fantasy Fulfillment

08/25/2025
Benedict Cumberbatch in The Roses But Why Tho
5.0

 REVIEW: ‘The Roses’ Lacks A Thorny Edge

08/25/2025
Mert Ramazan Demir in Abandoned Man
6.5

REVIEW: ‘Abandoned Man’ Lacks Depth In Its Take On Betrayal

08/22/2025
Ne Zha 2 promotional still from a24
10.0

REVIEW: ‘Ne Zha 2’ Is One Of The Most Epic Feats Of Animation

08/21/2025

Get BWT in your inbox!

Subscribe to our weekly newsletter and get the latest and greated in entertainment coverage.
Click Here
TRENDING POSTS
Cosmic Spider-Man card details Features

[EXCLUSIVE PREVIEW] The Spider-Man Set Gets A 5-Color Legendary Spider

By Kate Sánchez09/02/2025Updated:09/02/2025

An exclusive look at a new 5-Color Spider entering Magic: The Gathering’s Spider-Man set, and Cosmic Spider-Man is going to be a tough one to take on.

Hololive EN at Radio City Music Hall Events

Hololive EN At Radio City Music Hall Was A Pure Expression Of Fandom

By Adrian Ruiz08/31/2025Updated:09/03/2025

Hololive EN turned Radio City in New York City into the pure expression of fandom: chants, penlights, and community in perfect sync.

Karl Anthony Towns in NBA 2k26 But Why Tho
8.5
PS5

REVIEW: ‘NBA 2K26’ Brings Basketball To Life

By Kyle Foley09/03/2025

NBA 2K26 combines improved visuals with some important tweaks to keep the series feeling fresh in the latest yearly release.

Cronos: The New Dawn Nest
8.0
PC

REVIEW: ‘Cronos: The New Dawn’ Does Post-Apocalyptic Psychological Horror Right

By Mick Abrahamson09/03/2025Updated:09/03/2025

While not particularly sacry, Cronos: The New Dawn is a lot of fun as a survival horror that puts you in the futuristic armor of the Traveler.

But Why Tho?
Facebook X (Twitter) Instagram Pinterest RSS YouTube Twitch
  • CONTACT US
  • ABOUT US
  • PRIVACY POLICY
  • SUBSCRIBE TO OUR NEWSLETTER
  • Review Score Guide
Sometimes we include links to online retail stores. If you click on one and make a purchase we may receive a small contribution.
Written Content is Copyright © 2025 But Why Tho? A Geek Community

Type above and press Enter to search. Press Esc to cancel.

But Why Tho Logo

Support Us!

We're able to keep making content thanks to readers like YOU!
Support independent media today with
Click Here