BLOOD & GOLD: A Cinematic Gem in Netflix’s Library

Netflix doesn’t have the best track record when it comes to films. While you can find valuable titles among its series (such as “Stranger Things” or “Wednesday“), unfortunately, most feature films end up being labeled as mediocre at best. Of course, there are exceptions, like the award-winning “All Quiet on the Western Front” or Martin Scorsese’s “The Irishman”. However, one undeniable advantage of streaming services is that they provide access to productions from different countries, which would otherwise be much harder to come by. Today, I’d like to take a closer look at one such gem from across our western border.

“Blood & Gold” begins in the spring of 1945. A Nazi unit arrives in a small German town, searching for gold hidden at the start of the war. One of the soldiers, Heinrich (played by Robert Maaser), deserts and is sentenced to death by the sadistic, disfigured commander von Starnfeld (Alexander Scheer). However, Heinrich survives thanks to the help of Elsa (Marie Hacke) and soon gets involved in the search for the treasure. Thus begins a bloody slaughter.

In one review written by a German viewer, it’s noted that just ten years ago, a film like this wouldn’t have been made in Germany. “Blood & Gold” tackles very difficult topics, but it does so in a distinctly Hollywood-like, entertaining, and uncompromising way. The creators don’t try to whitewash history or engage in revisionism. Quite the opposite – they depict the Germans serving in the SS in an archetypal way that cinema has long accustomed us to: dehumanized, brutal, indulging their basest instincts, and from the very first scene, you wish them the worst. In contrast, the main character, Heinrich, longs for his family and is entangled in the war against his will. Though he looks like the perfect Aryan, straight out of Hitler’s wet dreams of the ideal German, he doesn’t hesitate to ruthlessly eliminate his former comrades. The film doesn’t attempt to reckon with the dark past—it’s too “light” for that. At its core, it’s pure entertainment, lacking any aspirations to explore the roots of Nazism or the nature of evil. But the mere fact that the younger generation of Germans is starting to approach their difficult history in such a “popcorn” way may indicate a shift in the perception of World War II. While still tragic and echoing into the present, it is slowly fading with the passing of time. Today’s forty-year-olds still know it from the often tragic stories of their grandparents, who were eyewitnesses and participants in the war, but for their children, it is already a part of distant history.

The plot isn’t complicated, but it doesn’t need to be. We have a treasure hunt, a few distinctive characters with clearly defined motivations, and the rest is a joyful, unrestrained, blood-soaked rampage. The violence, veiled in grotesque overtones and at times almost cartoonish, gives the whole thing the flavor of a bloody farce. This impression is heightened by the appearance of the main character – Heinrich resembles William “B.J.” Blazkowicz, the protagonist of the “Wolfenstein” game series, which is also about eliminating Nazis. There are some more serious moments, such as the explanation of the gold’s origins, and if one looks for a broader commentary on SS crimes and the attitude of the German nation, it’s in these scenes. However, these are just a few minutes compared to the far more adventurous rest of the film. “Blood & Gold” also strongly echoes western themes, emphasized especially by the soundtrack, which unmistakably brings to mind Ennio Morricone’s scores for spaghetti westerns. The plot itself, if moved to a deserted town in the Wild West, wouldn’t require much alteration.

In general, “Blood & Gold” is a solid, bloody, and entertaining story, though not for everyone. If the sight of blood turns you off – avoid it. The rest should have a good time.

Written by Piotr Zymelka