Hitler On Trial In Amazon Show

“Are you a Jew?” a woman asks threateningly with a knife ready to possibly end the life of a store owner.

That tension-filled opening of “Hunters: Season 2” follows a major twist where Al Pacino’s Meyer Offerman turned out to be far different than the person he seemed to be in the climax of the first season.  Logan Lerman, who is fantastic, this time fully bearded with long hair, is Jonah Heidelbaum who cannot simply give in to his desire for revenge, or he will sacrifice the mission. As he is preparing to shoot Nazi Biff Simpson (Dylan Baker) in the head, Simpson pleads with him and offers up information he doubts can be true.

Written skillfully by David Weil, the eight episodes features a bizarre trial where Hitler is defended by a Jewish lawyer and decides to take the stand in his own defense.

“Growing up as a Jewish person, I was filled with such fury that Adolf Hitler was never brought to justice,” writer David Weil told The Journal via e-mail. “My grandmother, Sara Weil, was a survivor. And so Hitler was not only the world’s villain, but in a very personal way, he was the villain of my grandmother’s story. And so, I include him in this series specifically so that our Hunters could bring him to justice. Though this part of our series is fictional, I hope that audiences will feel a sense of catharsis in seeing this play out.”

The best episode of the season is the penultimate one, mostly taking place inside a house. It’s quite off the wall as three SS men come to the house where an elderly couple are living. The husband is supposed to be a German hero and he and wife are asked if they are hiding Jews in the home. In what appears to be a nod to the opening scene of Quentin Tarantino’s “Inglorious Basterds,” the episode is a masterstroke and credit must be given to Weil for being so unconventional. It could stand on its own without the other episodes. There is a bit of a Rod Serling twist which makes it meaningful. Robert Towers and Marcia Rodd are wonderfully creepy as Herr and Frau Hansom who dance for seemingly no reason, have trouble hearing and have a specially designed house. According to Weil, he wanted to lay a tapestry of stories and this episode provides the origin story of Zev, who is a young boy in this episode.

While Adolf Eichmann stood trial in Israel and was executed, it is hard to believe that even if somehow Hiter had escaped and been caught that nobody would have ripped him to shreds before he could have ever stood trial.

Pacino is on point with his schemes and Jennifer Jason Leigh, as Chava, gives an inspiring performance. Jerrika Hinton is spot on as Millie Morris, the American agent who does the unthinkable.

While some may balk at depictions of Hitler and say it is a waste of time, it is important to remember that as much as Hitler was a monster, he was a manipulative man of flesh and blood that was able to garner the support of his country.

While some may balk at depictions of Hitler and say it is a waste of time, it is important to remember that as much as Hitler was a monster, he was a manipulative man of flesh and blood that was able to garner the support of his country.

What makes the series a bit more potent now is that with a rise in antisemitic attacks, there is likely an increase in revenge fantasy. Just as Holocaust survivors have guilt for making it out alive when their friends and family did not, there are people who feel guilty for having an easier life than their grandparents. I wish I could have been a Nazi hunter. Even though this is a fantastical show, it never hurts to see a Nazi get a cleaver to the head.

There is quite a bit of violence in the show, but it is done in a way that makes sense. Udo Kier is effectively menacing at Hitler, when he tells his lawyer to “knock em dead” but could be tougher at other times, even though this is supposed to be more than 30 years after the end of World War II. It’s a great touch that the prosecutor against Hitler is a Black Jew.

Weil takes way more risk in the second season, and he mostly succeeds.

“I felt a great deal of pressure to honor these incredible characters and to give the audience a new and thrilling journey to partake in,” Weil wrote. “But more than that, I felt so inspired by the fans’ reaction to Season One and wanted to ensure a story that delivered on what people loved about the first season but also gave them something new, as well.”

The only head scratcher comes when Lerman’s character explains to a romantic interest why he has to kill Nazis.

“I can’t marry a murderer!” Emily Rudd says, as Clara, which is hard to believe, considering she should understand context, even if it is not in line with the law.

If there is a third season, who would the Hunters go after? Unfortunately, there are a number of choices. Perhaps Gustav Wagner, a deputy commander of Sobibor, where an estimated 200,000- 250,000 Jews were murdered. Wagner was on leave during the successful revolt at the death camp in October of 1943. Wagner fled to Brazil and was found dead with a knife in his chest in October, 1980.

Whether it was suicide, or he was hunted, we may never know.