I've seen a lot film work done around the subject of WWII and the Holocaust.  However, I've never seen anything like the quality of performance in this documentary.  It was a superb representation of what happened then from a perspective never before dramatized.

            U.S. Military Intelligence during WWII gathered together emigrants who spoke fluent German and trained them in the art of interrogation.  These were men who had escaped from Nazi domination of Europe during the period from 1933-1939, most of them boys at the time.  I found the early Richie Boys' individual histories to be engaging as an introduction, but the meat of their adventure lay in their war assignments.  When the U.S. entered WWII, some of them had already enlisted, some were drafted, but most of them were Jewish and they were intellectuals.  They were sent for training to Camp Richie, Maryland, hence the name, The Richie Boys. 

            What is unique about the perspective of these men who became successful professors, businessmen and artists is there experience, their knowledge and their humor.  All of this comes to us through the media of this documentary.  As they related their tales, I found the stories horrible, frightening, fascinating and frequently humorous.  It was the balance of these things that made the film powerful.  And it came from the talented ability of these men to convey all of this history in a two-hour film that was so engaging that I never once moved in my seat.  They completely captured my attention. 

            The actual WWII film footage used appears to be both from the Allied archives as well as from captured Nazi archives.  It is expertly edited and integrated into the personal interviews with all the men who constituted The Richie Boys.    

            Reviewed January 12, 2005 at the International Film Festival.

            Rating unknown, but probably "R" for horrific war scenes.