Netflix's New Political Thriller Is Topping the Charts

The new movie at the top of Netflix charts around the globe is the historical fiction thriller Munich: The Edge of War. The movie reached Netflix's catalog on Friday, Jan. 21 and is already taking over the Top 10 lists all over the globe. It also got a limited theatrical release in the U.S., for those interested in seeing it on the big screen.

Munich: Edge of War is based on the 2017 novel Munich by Robert Harris. It is set in the 1930s and is about a small, unlikely group of operatives from the U.K. trying to take down Hitler and the Third Reich before the Holocaust can begin. It stars Jeremy Irons, George MacKay, Jannis Niewöhner, Sandra Hüller, Liv Lisa Fries, August Diehl, Jessic Brown Findlay, Anjili Mohindra and Ulrich Matthes. The screenplay was written by Ben Power and the movie is directed by Christian Schwochow.

The movie begins with friends Hugh (MacKay), Paul (Hartmann) and Lena (Fries) visiting Germany in 1932 to celebrate their graduation from Oxford University – and out of curiosity to see the "New Germany" in action. It then flashes forward six years to reveal that Hugh is now secretary to British Prime Minister Neville Chamberlain (Irons). Meanwhile, Paul is working in the Nazi government and plotting to take it down from within if possible.

The crux of the movie is that Paul obtains a document that proves that Hitler intends to try and conquer Europe. This would give other countries reasonable cause to intervene in German politics. Chamberlain asks Hugh to travel to Germany as a spy and retrieve the document from Paul without being caught.

The movie was filmed in late 2020 in Germany and England but received little fanfare early on. However, its worldwide release has been a huge success so far. At the time of this writing, the movie has 88 percent positive reception based on 55 reviews on Rotten Tomatoes. Audiences have given the movie a 79 percent score.

Munich: The Edge of War has climbed from the No. 7 spot on Netflix's Top 10 Movies list in the U.S. to the No. 2 spot since its premiere. The effect has been similar in other countries – especially in the U.K. where it has been No. 1 since its premiere. If you haven't gotten a chance to see it yet, you can watch Munich: The Edge of War on Netflix now.