"A tense historical thriller that dramatizes the obstacles that tenacious state attorney general Bauer faced in prosecuting the architects of Auschwitz." - Variety
“Based on real people and events, this tale finds Fritz Bauer, a German Jew, serving as an attorney general in West Germany in 1957. Part of his work is to track down former Nazi officials, and he’s increasingly thwarted by superiors and underlings who are still sympathetic to the Third Reich.
"Bauer is a mass, and a mess, of contradictions: crafty yet principled, loyal yet friendless, brooding yet driven. Sometimes he charges ahead, other times he bumbles along, usually engulfed in a cloud of tobacco smoke. Burghart Klaussner, as Fritz Bauer, delivers a masterly performance as this complicated man.
“The film, directed by Lars Kraume, won a clutch of German film awards, including Best Picture and Best Screenplay. From start to finish, The People vs. Fritz Bauer is absorbing. A historical drama that radiates suspense, it often recalls 'Munich' and 'Bridge of Spies.'” - New York Times