The Aryan Couple review

Why you can trust 12DOVE Our experts review games, movies and tech over countless hours, so you can choose the best for you. Find out more about our reviews policy.

Producer John Daly has an impressive track record: The Terminator, Platoon, The Last Emperor. As a director, though, judging by this and his previous effort, The Petersburg-Cannes Express, he’d do well to stick to the day job.

Hungary, 1944. Joseph Krauzenberg, a rich Jewish industrialist, has done a deal with Heinrich Himmler: in return for his estate, he and his extended family get passage to Switzerland. But what becomes of his faithful house servants, the young Aryan couple of the title? Who, as it turns out, are really Jews working undercover for the Resistance...

Yes, it’s the Horrible Holocaust show again. Jews weep, Nazis strut, the dialogue thuds, the pace sags. As a treatment of history, this is trivial. As a thriller, it’s devoid of tension. Martin Landau, as Krauzenberg, escapes with what dignity he can.

The Total Film team are made up of the finest minds in all of film journalism. They are: Editor Jane Crowther, Deputy Editor Matt Maytum, Reviews Ed Matthew Leyland, News Editor Jordan Farley, and Online Editor Emily Murray. Expect exclusive news, reviews, features, and more from the team behind the smarter movie magazine. 

Latest in Biographical Movies
The Wolf of Wall Street
The 32 greatest Leonardo DiCaprio movies
Billy Zane as Marlon Brando in Waltzing with Brando
Upcoming Marlon Brando biopic gets its first look and fans cannot get over how uncanny Billy Zane looks: "I honestly thought this was Brando"
Keke Palmer, Daniel Kaluuya, and Brandon Perea in Nope
Don't call Jordan Peele the best horror director - he'll tell you it's John Carpenter
James Cameron announces Avatar 2 has finished filming, Avatar 3 "95% done"
The Avatar sequels have a reported budget of $1 billion
New Avatar 2 set photos show James Cameron filming with underwater technology
Latest in Reviews
Lenovo Legion Go S with FlyKnight gameplay on screen featuring player character holding bow and arrow with enemy ant in backdrop.
Lenovo Legion Go S Windows 11 review: “my heart aches for this mixed up handheld”
Talisman 5th Edition game components
Talisman 5th Edition review: "The characterful imperfections of the original game remain clear to see "
WWE 2K25
WWE 2K25 review: "A colossal package even if you never go anywhere near Virtual Currency"
Altered: Trial by Frost booster box and packs on a playmat
Altered: Trial by Frost review - "Satisfying enough to offer highly varied gameplay"
Three SteelSeries QcK Performance mouse pads on a wooden desk
I didn't expect to prefer a coarser mouse pad, but SteelSeries' new QcK Performance range has changed my mind
Boro and Alta sit on a bench together in Wanderstop
Wanderstop review: "Exalting the transformative power of tea"