'The Ritchie Boys': True tale of unlikely heroes

At a time when Japanese-Americans were being interned in camps as security risks, a small group of German émigrés who had fled the persecution of their homeland were being trained by the United States government at Fort Ritchie, Md. — just outside the nation's capital — to interrogate, infiltrate and, in extreme cases, kill their former countrymen.

Tangram/Alliance Atlantis 'The Ritchie Boys' B+ The verdict: A compelling account of German émigrés trained to infiltrate and fight their former countrymen. Director: Christian Bauer Starring: Hans Peter Hallwachs, Victor Brombert, Fred Howard, Si Lewen, Guy Stern Run time: 91 minutes Release date: April 23, 2004 Rating: Not rated See showtimes On the web Official movie site Rate 'The Ritchie Boys'   Go see it   Make it a matinee   Wait to rent   Don't bother Voter Limit: Once per Hour View Poll Results

These so-called Ritchie Boys recount their stories in a remarkable documentary by Germany's Christian Bauer. The movie was first seen locally at the Palm Beach Jewish Film Festival in December, where it won the audience favorite award. It now returns for a commercial engagement and remains a compelling viewing experience, largely because these unlikely heroes are such good storytellers.

Recruited because their knew the language and psychology of the enemy better than anyone, these mostly Jewish young men — many of whom, coincidentally, would later become artists and writers — were far outside the box of the standard soldier profile. Yet, as they explain with a fervency that has stayed with them for decades, their hatred of the Nazis and a desire to contribute to their downfall overcame whatever physical toughness they lacked.

Bauer either chose his subjects carefully or lucked out with the those on which he focuses. Between archival footage, their talking-head testimony and the inevitable return trip to the barracks and classrooms of Fort Ritchie, The Ritchie Boys is a fascinating, personal corner of World War II history.