‘Munich – The Edge of War’ movie review: Understated WWII drama keeps you glued to the screen
The Hindu
There are engaging spy stories full of flash and bang, and then there are those which quietly go about their business to spectacularly deliver on their promise of a licence to thrill, such as Christian Schwochow’s latest drama
Robert Harris’ novels are a heady blend of history, fiction and thrills. The novels be it Fatherland, or the Cicero trilogy keeps the reader at the edge of the seat despite knowing the final outcome. His 2003 novel, Pompeii, is a case in point. We all know what happened on August 24, 79 AD — Mount Vesuvius erupted and destroyed Pompeii and surrounding areas.
.
However, in Harris’ novel, we are engrossed with the newly-arrived aquarius (hydraulic engineer), Marcus Attilius Primus, and his efforts to find out the reason for the death of fish, his missing predecessor and the reason for the block in the aqueduct. The tension is ratchetted with plots and double-crosses even as August 24 approaches. There was supposed to be a film adaptation (no, not the wretched one with Kit Harrington in 2014) with Roman Polanski directing. Fun fact: Harris has said in numerous interviews how Polanski’s Chinatown was inspiration for Pompeii.
