Singer, who made a splash three years ago with the serpentine thriller “The Usual Suspects,” directs with less certainty here. The deeper the pair delve into Dussander’s memories, the stronger their attraction and repulsion, and the more dangerous the game becomes-not only for them, but for anyone who tests their venom, including Todd’s supportive, disbelieving principal (David Schwimmer), and the homeless man (Elias Koteas) who stalks Dussander, hoping for handouts. Though we are mercifully spared dramatizations of his deeds, Dussander reveals himself to have been a true patriot of the Third Reich, a dehumanized killing machine, and his foul soul is revived by the boy’s encouragement. And in case the old man gets any ideas, the evidence is stored in a safe deposit box.Īnd so, a lethal game of cat-and-mouse begins, with Dussander-at first cautious and reluctant, then with greater and greater, alcohol-fueled enthusiasm-recalling his role in the Final Solution. If Dussander will tell Todd the detailed truth of his experiences, exactly what he did, to how many, and how it felt, Todd will not report him to Nazi hunters. Todd then creates an airtight dossier on his concentration camp crimes and shows up at his door with an offer he can’t refuse. On a public bus, he recognizes Dussander, a scruffy loner in the neighborhood, from 40-year-old photos in the library. The story is launched on a spectacular coincidence: the sighting of the ex-Nazi by 16-year-old Todd, who has just finished a week of Holocaust study in high school and become obsessed with the subject.
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