Film
What's on at the cinema plus reviews of the latest movie and DVD releases
Bookmark this pageJudgment in Berlin (1988)
Director: Leo Penn
Movie review
From Time Out Film Guide
'No one has ever been tried in the West for escaping from the East' announces Sheen early in this docudrama based upon the trial of two East German citizens who in 1978 hijacked a plane to defect to the 'free West' - or did they? Tried under American jurisdiction, their case rose to notoriety when presiding judge Herbert J Stern refused to yield to political pressure, and granted Helmut Thiele and Sigrid Radke the right to trial by jury. Penn's adaptation of Stern's book is an uncertain affair, an intriuging courtroom drama marred by heavy-handed pathos and symbolic flag-waving. Sheen hams it up as Stern, delivering Lincoln-esque speeches about freedom while gazing meaningfully at newsreels of refugees. 'I'm just trying to understand these people', he tells his German-hating Jewish wife (Rose), who soon tires of the whole performance. Hoenig and Speidel are admirable as the errant Easterners, but the real surprise is Sean Penn, whose portrayal of a recently liberated, hesitant student is exemplary.Author: MK
Cast & crew
Director: Leo Penn
Producer: Joshua Sinclair, Ingrid Windisch
Cast: Martin Sheen, Sam Wanamaker, Max Gail, Jürgen Heinrich, Heinz Hoenig, Carl Lumbly, Max Volkert Martens, Sean Penn, Christine Rose, Marie-Louise Sinclair, Joshua Sinclair, Jutta Speidel, Harris Yulin full cast
Duration: 96 mins
Most popular on this site
Top Stories
Has David Cronenberg turned tame?
Has director David Cronenberg veered too far from his radical and bloody roots with new film 'A Dangerous Method'?
The 10 worst date movies
Just in time for Valentine's Day, we present ten of the least romantic films ever made
Where to watch this year's Oscar-nominated films
Find out where to watch 2012's Oscar-nominated films in London cinemas
10 unlikely badboy biopics
Featuring Phil Collins, Jeremy Clarkson, Nick Clegg, David Starkey and a host of other unlikely subjects
Interview: Sean Durkin on 'Martha Marcy May Marlene'
The first-time director of the brilliant new thriller discusses religious cults and robot boxing
Pop-up cinema for Valentine's Day
Side-step romantic clichés with some alternative Valentine’s viewing
What do you think?
Post your review now