What is Blood & Gold about? Netflix war movie explained

❘ Published: 2023-05-26T13:16:33

Netflix

Blood & Gold, an action comedy set in the last days of World War II, has arrived on Netflix – so, here’s what it’s about, who’s in the cast, and if it’s worth watching.

Quentin Tarantino’s 2009 masterpiece Inglourious Basterds flipped the Nazi narrative on its head, paving the way for a group of Jewish avengers to get their payback on Hitler and take out the SS in blood-splattering, scalp-tearing fashion.

More recently, we had Jojo Rabbit, Taika Waititi’s stylized WW2 comedy-drama about a Nazi youth (and his imaginary friend, Adolf Hitler) whose mind is turned when his mother takes in a Jewish girl.

Both movies demonstrate that satirical takes on the horrors of history can be just as impactful, and that brings us to Blood & Gold, a new Netflix movie retelling the story with a fresh take.

What is Blood & Gold about?

As an action comedy set in the final days of World War II, Blood & Gold has been described as the “German Inglourious Basterds.” The movie tells the fictional story of a Nazi deserter who, while returning to his daughter, gets caught up in a battle against SS troops on their hunt for hidden gold.

Check out the trailer below:

As per the official synopsis, the movie is set in spring 1945, “telling the story of the German deserter Heinrich, the young and courageous farmer Elsa – and a whole host of Nazis. On his way home from the front to his daughter, Heinrich stumbles into the clutches of a marauding SS troop.

“Their leader leaves him hanging in a tree. But he is saved at the last minute by Elsa, who hides him on her farm. Meanwhile, the SS is searching for a Jewish treasure hidden in a nearby village, meeting bitter resistance from the fed-up villagers, who want to keep the treasure for themselves.

“Soon, Heinrich and Elsa are unwillingly dragged into this action-packed hunt for the gold, culminating in a bloody showdown at the village church.”

In a press release, director Peter Thorwarth and producer Christian Becker – who worked together on the Netflix horror success Blood Red Sky – opened up about how they had “American action and adventure classics from the sixties and seventies in mind” when creating their movie.

They consider Inglourious Basterds to be somewhat of a “wave breaker” in terms of telling a war story in an unconventional way. “It wasn’t made by a German, but it opened up ways for us,” explained Thorwarth. “Without it, our film probably would not have been possible.”

Blood & Gold cast: Who’s in it?

The Blood & Gold cast includes:

Robert Maaser as Heinrich
Marie Hacke as Elsa
Alexander Scheer as Von Starnfeld
Jördis Triebel as Sonja
Florian Schmidtke as Dorfler
Stephan Grossmann as Mayor
Petra Zieser as Irmgard
Gisela Aderhold as Brigitte
Jochen Nickel as Priest
Simon Rupp as Paule

Robert Maaser started out as a gymnast in his childhood, before going on to become a professional stuntman while studying acting in Berlin and London for several years. The actor made his international screen debut in Mission Impossible: Rogue Nation, and has starred in a number of major movies including Uncharted and Out For Vengeance.

Marie Hacke, meanwhile, has appeared in a number of shows including Outlander. Funnily enough, she was supposed to audition for Thorwarth and Becker’s Blood Red Sky, stating: “I was among the final selections at the casting. I almost canceled, as I felt really sick on the day of the casting. As it turned out later, I was pregnant.” So, while she didn’t get the role, the director remembered Hacke and invited her to audition for Blood & Gold, where she went on to bag the female lead.

Is Blood & Gold worth watching?

Although it’s too early for a Rotten Tomatoes score, Blood & Gold has debuted to favorable reviews.

The Guardian gave the Netflix movie three stars, writing: “It’s predictable but tightly staged and well paced, and if you’re scrolling through the streaming platform looking for something fresh, it’s not a bad choice for switch-your-brain-off entertainment.”

Elsewhere, Ready Steady Cut said: “Blood & Gold is a very good film and may be the best of its kind since Inglourious Basterds.” And Heaven of Horror added: “It’s very much an action thriller with a few touches of dark comedy to make it all bearable. And the title doesn’t lie; it is very bloody (and gory).”

Blood & Gold is available to stream on Netflix now. You can check out our other Netflix hubs below: