ShareThisThere's nothing like a thriller about criminals trying to beat the system by producing mass quantities of counterfeit money. There's certainly nothing else like "The Counterfeiters," an Austrian film in which the Nazis try to get the best of their enemies by forcing Jewish prisoners to create ersatz British pound notes and American currency.Winner of the 2007 Oscar for Best Foreign-Language Film, "The Counterfeiters" is based on a true story, proving once again that the truth isn't just stranger than fiction, it's also often more entertaining.Top forger Salomon "Sally" Sorowitsch (Karl Markovics) is known in Berlin as the "king of counterfeiters." He makes a fine income forging identity papers and the like. Sally lives for good times, although in 1936 times are already tough, especially for Jews.Sally doesn't think of himself as Jewish; he's an island, looking out for no one but Sally. He has adapted to the workings of the underworld and is recognized and respected. His self-indulgence gets him into trouble when he postpones closing up shop, giving authorities the chance to arrest him and send him to a concentration camp.Realizing the odds are against his survival, Sally schmoozes his German captors, painting flattering portraits that earn him favor and extra crumbs of food.Eventually, he's sent to another camp, Sachsenhausen, where he is reunited with S.S. Kommandant Friedrich Herzog (Devid Striesow), the man who originally arrested him. Herzog is running "Operation Bernhard," a plot to ruin the economies of Great Britain and the United States by flooding their markets with fake money. The money also will be used to bolster Germany's depleted coffers.Herzog has assembled an eclectic group of bankers, printers and graphic artists to create the counterfeit money. Sally is Herzog's ace in the hole; he's bound to be the one who can iron out the kinks and put together the perfect fakes.The prisoners working on the project live in relative comfort; they have clean beds, showers and enough to eat. Survival-minded Sally is willing to go along with Herzog. But fellow prisoner Adolf Burger (August Diehl) insists that it's their duty to sabotage the process and keep the Nazis from gaining any economic advantage. To the dismay of many of his fellow prisoners, Burger is willing to risk his life and theirs to thwart the Nazis.Written and directed by Stefan Ruzowitzky, "The Counterfeiters" is not the typical heartstring-pulling Holocaust film. It avoids pandering and sentiment as much as possible. Ruzowitzky weds the intensity of a thriller with the pragmatism of a business transaction. The ideals that are at stake are too important and essential to be undermined by manipulation.Constantly hunched over and with facial features askew, Markovics looks the part of the self-serving Sally. In the end, it's the dreamy Kolya (Sebastian Urzendowsky) who influences him more than strident Burger.Cast and crew bring the film to believable life. The only thing fake about "The Counterfeiters" is the money.Rated R for some strong violence, brief sexuality/nudity and language.4 stars (out of five).(Contact Knoxville News Sentinel film critic Betsy Pickle at pickle(at)knews.com.)(Distributed by Scripps Howard News Service, http://www.scrippsnews.com)
The only thing fake about 'Counterfeiters' is the money
Paying taxes unites us. It also divides us. People can pay five and even six times more in state and local taxes than other folks in similar circumstances making similar incomes.
Who's got your number?
In one of the fastest-growing forms of identity theft, crooks are stealing tax refunds by swiping personal information and using it to trick the Internal Revenue Service.
