The scene is Frankfurt in 1958, and the hero of the film, a composite of three real-life prosecutors, is Johann Radmann, played with stubborn passion by Alexander Fehling, who learns that so many Germans who took part in the Auschwitz atrocities are going about their lives without facing punishment for their deeds. He is abetted by a journalist Thomas Gnielka (André Szymanski) and Jewish survivor Simon Kirsch (Johannes Krisch). Another important role is played by the late Gert Voss as the actual prosecutor Fritz Bauer, who gives key support to Radmann in his determination to bring culprits to justice.

The inquiry pressed by Radmann, at first mocked by fellow attorneys, is a dramatization of what eventually led to the 1963-65 Auschwitz trials in Frankfurt. The story, scripted by Elisabeth Bartel and Riccarelli, packs suspense and moral intensity. There is a candid portrait of various Germans who resumed ordinary lives after participating in the murder of Jews at the Auschwitz camp in Poland. A suspenseful sequence involves Radmann’s effort to capture the notorious Josef Mengele, famed for his medical experiments on victims, when he reportedly has returned to Germany from his sanctuary abroad to visit family.

Unfortunately the screenplay eventually deviates excessively from the basics to include family issues involving the protagonist’s background and a love interest, with background issues there too. This distracts as well as lengthens the film, although granted, the point is being made that decent individuals may also have shocking family skeletons in the closet.