Six Minutes To Midnight turns the clock back to a time when the British government was actually concerned about fascist indoctrination.

Based on historical fact, SIX MINUTES TO MIDNIGHT, the latest Sky Original Movie, takes the very real existence of the Augusta Victoria College, in Bexhill-on-Sea, a boarding school which in the final days before the outbreak of World War II housed the daughters of high-ranking and influential Nazi families and uses it as the setting for a genteel tale of espionage and a diplomatic race against time.

When one of the teachers at the school mysteriously vanishes, six days later Thomas Miller (Eddie Izzard) takes up the post of the school’s English teacher to find out what happened and – crucially – what else is occurring at the school in the run up to the widely anticipated conflict with Germany.

The film, Izzard’s first credit as co-screenwriter, represents something of a passion project for the comedian, who herself grew up in the town where this drama is set – and the real school existed between 1932 and 1939. Founded ostensibly to foster amicable relations between the two normally contentious European powers, it quickly became a conduit for introducing the children of high ranking Germans to the British aristocracy in the hopes of solidifying a network of connections and relationships.

It’s into this ‘Heilwarts’ that Miller finds himself sent to take up the post which some might consider Defence of the Dark Arts. The school is run by Ms Rocholl (Judi Dench), a dedicated but severe headmistress who dotes on the girls and sees nothing wrong with their eager and passionate patriotism. She’s not even above indulging in a few “Sieg Heils” herself, dismissing the sinister overtones of the gesture as innocent pride and a desire to ‘hail victory’.

SIX MINUTES TO MIDNIGHT is rich in atmosphere and the production values and cinematography are first-rate, but there’s a hollowness to the film that lets down its polished aesthetics and period authenticity. The lacking isn’t to be found in the performances, to be sure, and Izzard is particularly impressive and Dench plays the headmistress with all the blinkered iron certainty of your average Brexit voter, caught up in the passion and ideological fervour only to realise too late what their credulous zealotry has given rise to. There’s a starker warning for the present, too, in contemplating just how insidious an idea of a school designed to corrupt and indoctrinate rather than educate its pupils can be and how easily it can happen even now.

Stylistically, SIX MINUTES TO MIDNIGHT homages the likes of “The 39 Steps” but never really finds its rhythm to keep the creeping tension rising credibly. While the protagonists are well defined, it neglects to flesh out the antagonists or, for that matter, any of the girls of the school beyond some superficial details. We learn but a few of their names and even fewer of their personalities so by the time the film’s endgame plays out, there just aren’t enough characters to hang the more dramatic moments the film is aiming for and, as a result, it fails to stick the landing.

six minutes to midnight review
Score 6/10


Hi there! If you enjoyed this post, why not sign up to get new posts sent straight to your inbox?

Sign up to receive a weekly digest of The Craggus' latest posts.

We don’t spam! Read our privacy policy for more info.

logo

Related posts

Doctor Who: The Lie Of The Land Review

Doctor Who: The Lie Of The Land Review

Mum's the word for lacklustre Doctor Who trilogy closer The Lie Of The Land So... six months have elapsed since the end of the last episode and as the Doctor’s clumsily unconvincing hagiography of the Monks’ occupation eludes to they feel like they’ve been there forever. Well...

Mega Shark vs Kolossus (2015) Review

Mega Shark vs Kolossus (2015) Review

Mega Shark vs Kolossus is a kolossal waste of time and energy Sometime in the future, the world has yet to recover from the last mega shark attack. A voiceover tells us that the near total halt of global shipping plus a general avoidance of the coast and water by the population of...

Sharknado 2: The Second One (2014) Review

Sharknado 2: The Second One (2014) Review

My God, it's full of crap! Yes, that’s right – “Sharknado 2” brings back all your favourites: that girl from the “American Pie” movies and…and, yeah, that guy…from the thing? You know, the thing...? Yeah, he’s back too. And this time they’re off to New York as part of a book tour...

I Am Alone (2015) Review

I Am Alone (2015) Review

In our 800th post, SweetieG reviews indie zombie movie I am Alone Hello, cupcakes! Today I’m going to share with you my thoughts on indie zombie flick “I Am Alone”.  The bottom line with this film is I really enjoyed it.  It’s not perfect, but it’s well worth a watch. When...

Santa Jaws (2018) Review

Santa Jaws (2018) Review

Santa Jaws brings a bit of festive fin for a Shark Weak 4 Christmas Special SANTA JAWS is a pun so delicious and filled with festive promise that it’s a wonder it took until 2018 for the chum-grinding sharksploitation mill to get around to it. While it shares all the...

The Marvels (2023) Review

The Marvels (2023) Review

The Marvels is a lot of fun, even if it lacks focus. I’ve written in the past about how mediocrity would be the harbinger of the oft-prophesied superhero fatigue, identifying quality, not quantity as the critical factor. In the end, it’s what did it for the DCEU and its what keeps...

Turbo (2013) Review

Turbo (2013) Review

Turbo runs out of fuel too soon. "Turbo" is the latest animated features to show that it’s not enough to have a cute and clever concept and a great voice cast if you haven’t really got a good story to hang the whole thing on. It starts brightly enough, with Theo the snail (voiced by...

Anchorman 2: The Legend Continues (2013) Review

Anchorman 2: The Legend Continues (2013) Review

Did you enjoy “Anchorman: The Legend Of Ron Burgundy”? Yes? Then the chances are you’re going to enjoy “Anchorman 2: The Legend Continues”, even if parts of it feel  a little familiar. “Anchorman 2” is a funny sort of hybrid creation: part sequel, part remake with just a little bit...