Wartime dramas involving historical figures can be fascinating — as this one eventually is — but they are tricky to do.  I am no expert on World War II but as events in The Exception began to unfold I kept wondering whether they really did happen, or really could have happened, or whether the filmmakers were just messing around with history.  Later research indicates that this is a fictional story, based upon a novel by Alan Judd, but by the end of the story my worries were allayed and I didn’t really care if this movie were tied to the truth loosely or not at all.  The final twenty minutes is absolutely crackerjack storytelling.  Many films begin well but just peter to a close, unable to maintain their momentum; this one takes a long while to build up momentum before blazing to a beautifully crafted finale.

David Leveaux’s film posits that Kaiser Wilhelm II (Christopher Plummer), who has been in exile in Holland for two decades, may be in danger as a potential assassination victim as Hitler begins to annex Europe (starting with Holland).  A battle-scarred officer, Captain Brandt (Jai Courtney), is assigned to protect him, but Brandt finds the task a dull one and prefers to discreetly frolic with one of the Kaiser’s servant girls, Mieke (Lily James).  Eventually Heinrich Himmler (Eddie Marsan) comes to dinner to discuss bringing the Kaiser back into the German fold, and the action really begins.

The title refers to Captain Brandt, who, despite being quite randy, is an atypical German officer, sick of war and death and waste, who wonders if a soldier has a duty stronger than that of country.  His relationship with Mieke starts with sex but develops into something else, something that if nourished by a little trust could truly blossom.  Indeed, the real power of this movie is that Brandt and a few other characters get to know each other well enough that gradually, slowly, they let down their guards enough to trust one another with feelings and secrets that could easily lead to execution.  Some audiences may hate the idea that Nazis could be anything other than evil, but this film bravely insists that there could be exceptions to that rule.

The acting is terrific, starting with Christopher Plummer who, at 87, steals the show as the wily Kaiser.  Janet McTeer is formidable as his wife, still trying to find him a place at the German table.  Courtney and James are excellent as the leads and Ben Daniels is terrific as an officer still faithful to the old leader.  Eddie Marsan is chilling as the seemingly dull-witted but deadly Himmler.  And as the film’s various threads twist together to finish its story director Leveaux is at his best, feinting one way and then delivering startling surprises and exquisitely satisfying drama.  Stick with it; this film is a winner.  ☆ ☆ ☆.  23 June 2017.