Munich: Edge of War plot summary and ending explained

Munich: Edge of War plot summary

  Munich: Edge of War takes place in the heart of 1938, on the eve of World War II. For those interested, we are two years away from the events depicted in 2017's Darkest Hour. 

 Germany is on the brink of war. With Hitler coming to power, he aims to invade Czechoslovakia. The British government is led by Neville Chamberlain, who wants a peaceful solution to prevent Britain from being drawn into another war.

  In the middle of this conflict are former classmates - a British civil servant named Hugh Legat and a German diplomat named Paul von Hartmann. The two head to Munich for the upcoming peace talks, hoping to stop the war before it destroys Europe.

  Is Hitler signing documents?

  Anyone familiar with WWII history will inevitably know the answer to this, but for the purpose of this summary, the quick answer is yes.

  Before Chamberlain is summoned to sign papers with Hitler, Paul manages to get 3 minutes to speak to the British Prime Minister thanks to Hugh arranging a meeting between the pair.

  Paul urges Chamberlain not to sign the documents, pointing out that Hitler is a monster and should not be allowed.

  Hitler's demands are just a formality before he can distract and conquer Europe. Chamberlain stands for peace and keeping Britain out of war. The thing is, if he doesn't sign the documents, Hitler invades Czechoslovakia, and with that, France and England automatically go to war.

  To combat this, there is another document Chamberlain signed with Hitler. This means that England and Germany will be at peace and not at war with each other. It obviously doesn't carry much weight, and even Hitler privately scoffs at it. 

 Can the Germans get hold of Paul's secret document?

  The espionage plot of this film revolves around a document detailing Hitler's true intentions. Thanks to his partner Helen Winter, Paul has conclusive proof that the peace talks were a smokescreen and that Hitler was intent on conquering Europe.

  Now Paul's motivation comes from his past, where his views on Hitler are soured when his ex-lover Lenya ends up embracing anti-Jewish sentiments. This actually led him to work behind enemy lines, with the intention of overthrowing Hitler and being part of some kind of resistance to make it happen.

  Refusing to abandon his current plan to sign the papers, Chamberlain embarks on a risky plan to kill Paul Hitler.

  And as fate would have it, not long after that, Paul has a moment with Adolf Hitler. Holding his gun, he freezes in place and finds himself unable to swing the gun or pull the trigger. Instead, he ditches the firearm and buckles.

Does Paul survive?

  After a tense meeting with the Führer, Paul encounters Franz waiting outside the office. Shortly before this meeting, Paul was convinced by Hugh that a secret document had been stolen from the latter's study. Prepared for the worst, Paul is surprised to learn that Franz was unaware of his ruse.

  This dangerous man suspected Paul for a while, but was shocked to learn that he did not know about the document.

  It turns out that one of Hugh's associates, Joan, actually took the document from Hugh's room before Franz could find it. It's a huge sigh of relief for everyone in what could have been a really tense and unpleasant meeting between the couple.

  While Paul lives to fight another day, the end of peace in Europe is near.

  What was the purpose of the second document?

  The Chamberlain depicted in this film was smarter than he appeared. It seems he knew war was coming, but all he could do was "play the cards he was dealt," illustrated by the last conversation on the plane.

  This second document would not have prevented Hitler from invading Europe, but if this treaty was violated, it would allow Chamberlain to dismiss Hitler as the bad guy we all know him to be.

  This in turn would allow the Allied forces to come together and legally declare war and end Hitler's rule. Of course, there were a few decisive moments that turned the tide of World War II in favor of the Allied forces - namely Stalingrad and El Alamein - but without looking back, Chamberlain hopes he made the best of it.