In a small German village,ย a museum has been erected to honor would-be Hitler assassin and carpenter Georg Elser. But outside the town of Konigsbronn, little is known about this country craftsman who might have changed the course of history. As directed by Oliver Hirschbiegel (who made the masterful 2004 film “Downfall”), “13 Minutes” illuminates Elser’s story in a mostly compelling fashion.
In November 1939, Elser was arrested on the Swiss border, his pockets full of schematics and suspicious gear. Moments later, a bomb explodes in the Munich Bรผrgerbrรคukeller, immediately behind the Fรผhrer’s lectern, killing eight people.
The film intercuts between the harsh questioning and torture Elser endures from top Nazi brass after his failed assassination attempt, and a portrait of the resistance fighter as a young man.