Munich – The Edge of War: release date, cast and plot for Netflix film
George MacKay and Jeremy Irons star in this adaptation of Robert Harris' historical fiction novel.
A couple of years ago, George MacKay won all sorts of plaudits for his turn in Sam Mendes' First World War film 1917, and now he's starring in a new film that sees him aim to prevent the start of another major conflict: World War Two.
Netflix original Munich – The Edge of War is adapted from a historical fiction novel by Robert Harris, and also stars Jeremy Irons as British Prime Minister Neville Chamberlain, as he aims to bring about a peaceful solution and avoid the outbreak of War in 1938.
Read on for everything you need to know about the film, including when it's released on Netflix and who else features in the cast.
By entering your details, you are agreeing to our terms and conditions and privacy policy. You can unsubscribe at any time.
Munich – The Edge of War release date
The film was initially released in select cinemas on Friday 7th January 2022, two weeks before it arrives on Netflix on Friday 21st January 2022.
Munich – The Edge of War plot
The film is based on Robert Harris' 2017 novel Munich, which blends fact and fiction to tell a story set on the eve of the outbreak of the Second World War.
The film revolves around a fictional political aide named Hugh Legat, who along with a former University friend from Germany becomes involved in a plot to bring about Hitler's demise at an emergency conference in Munich – all while Prime Minister Neville Chamberlain continues to enact a policy of appeasement.
The official Netflix plot synopsis reads, "It is Autumn 1938 and Europe stands on the brink of war. Adolf Hitler is preparing to invade Czechoslovakia and Neville Chamberlain's government desperately seeks a peaceful solution.
"With the pressure building, Hugh Legat, British civil servant, and Paul von Hartmann, German diplomat, travel to Munich for the emergency Conference. As negotiations begin, the two old friends find themselves at the centre of a web of political subterfuge and very real danger. With the whole world watching, can war be averted and, if so, at what cost?"
If you want to find out more about the factual elements of the film, you can read our Munich – The Edge of War true story explainer.
Munich – The Edge of War cast
1917 star George MacKay leads the cast as fictional political aide Hugh Legat, with German actor Jannis Niewöhner starring as his former university friend Paul von Hartmann, who now works as a German diplomat.
Meanwhile, Jeremy Irons stars as former Prime Minister Neville Chamberlain - one of many real historical figures to appear in the film – while Mark Lewis Jones (Star Wars: The Last Jedi) plays his Private secretary Sir Osmund Cleverly and Ulrich Matthes, who played Joseph Goebbels in the hugely successful 2004 film Downfall, plays Adolf Hitler.
Other cast members include Downton Abbey's Jessica Brown Findlay, Vigil's Anjli Mohindra, Toni Erdmann's Sandra Huller, Babylon Berlin's Liv Lisa Fries and Inglourious Basterds star August Diehl.
Munich – The Edge of War trailer
You can check out a trailer for the film below – which teases the task handed to George MacKay's Hugh Legat, and gives a glimpse of Jeremy Irons as Neville Chamberlain.
Munich – The Edge of War is on Netflix from Friday 21st January 2022. Check out our lists of the best series on Netflix and the best movies on Netflix, or see what else is on with our TV Guide.
Authors
Patrick Cremona is the Senior Film Writer at Radio Times, and looks after all the latest film releases both in cinemas and on streaming. He has been with the website since October 2019, and in that time has interviewed a host of big name stars and reviewed a diverse range of movies.
