THE COUNTERFEITERS is the latest in a string of outstanding pictures from Germany and Austria that boldly re-examine their Nazi and Cold War pasts. Writer/director Stefan Ruzowitzky, tells the true story of the greatest counterfeiting operation in history, dubbed "Operation Bernhard." Beginning in 1942 and continuing until 1945, the Nazis set up shops in the cell blocks of the Sachsenhausen concentration camp to copy everything from identity papers to securities to cash (in particular, pounds and dollars). Their long-term plan was to supplement their military might with an influx of phony money into world markets that would cripple the economies of the United States and Great Britain.
It is an epic tale of the ultimate temptation. In exchange for their expertise, interred bankers, printers and a few professional forgers are given privileges the rest of the camp lacks. However, if they do not produce perfect replicas, they will be executed.
The film “expertly captures the period through director Stefan Ruzowitzky’s careful attention to detail inside the camp.” It also “faithfully charts the toll that their morally compromised position inevitably takes with vigorous energy.” (CBC.ca Arts)