Walking with the Enemy

2014 2h 4m EN

😐

6.3

MID

★6.3TMDB · 77

ActionDramaHistoryWar

Synopsis

Spoiler shield

Regent Horthy is the leader of Hungary and a German ally, but his favorable standing with Hitler changes as the war comes to an end. Forced to cede Hungary’s power or else witness the execution of his son, Regent Horthy gives up control of his country to the Nazis, who quickly move Hungarians to ghettos and death camps, with no hope in sight. But the despair changes when a young man named Elek emerges. Separated from his family during the relocations and aided by the woman he loves , Elek defies the enemy by becoming one of them. In a race against time, disguised as a Nazi Officer he embarks on a mission to save his family and thousands of his countrymen.

“Some stories are better left unspoiled.”

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Where to watch · US

Cast

Jonas Armstrong
Elek Cohen
Hannah Tointon
Hannah Schoen
Ben Kingsley
Regent Miklos Horthy
Simon Dutton
Miklos Schoen
Burn Gorman
Lt. Colonel Otto Skorzeny
Shane Taylor
Miklos Horthy Jr.
Charles Hubbell
SS Colonel Eichmann
Simon Hepworth
Ferenc Szalasi

Credits

Behind the camera

Director: Mark Schmidt
Writers: Kenny Golde
Languages: English, German, Hungarian, Romanian
Countries: Canada, Hungary, Romania, United States of America

Want more? Switch to Cinephile mode in the header for DP, composer, budget, box office, production companies, keywords, and release history.

Did you know?

Fun facts 🍿

1 / 8

ERA

Did you know

Released 12 years ago.

MoodPlayr · trivia#01

2 / 8

WORLD

Did you know

Dialogue crosses 4 languages: English, German, Hungarian, Romanian.

MoodPlayr · trivia#02

3 / 8

WORLD

Did you know

International production across 4 countries: Canada, Hungary, Romania, United States of America.

MoodPlayr · trivia#03

4 / 8

DIRECTOR

Did you know

Directed by Mark Schmidt, shot by Dean Cundey. Note their partnership — DPs and directors often return to each other across a career.

MoodPlayr · trivia#04

5 / 8

DIRECTOR

Did you know

Editor Richard Nord shaped the rhythm. On an edit-heavy film, the editor does more to control your pulse than the director.

MoodPlayr · trivia#05

6 / 8

CAST

Did you know

Jonas Armstrong and Hannah Tointon and Ben Kingsley carry the top of the cast.

MoodPlayr · trivia#06

7 / 8

WILD

Did you know

IMDB entry: tt1515208 — still the authoritative cross-reference for credits and trivia.

MoodPlayr · trivia#07

8 / 8

WILD

Did you know

Only 77 TMDB ratings — you're getting ahead of the curve on this one.

MoodPlayr · trivia#08

Cinephile deep dive

The take

Mark Schmidt directs. Dean Cundey behind the camera. Richard Nord cuts. Produced in Canada, Hungary, Romania, United States of America. Dialogue in English, German, Hungarian, Romanian.

Trivia

Things worth knowing

1Released 12 years ago.
2Dialogue crosses 4 languages: English, German, Hungarian, Romanian.
3International production across 4 countries: Canada, Hungary, Romania, United States of America.
4Directed by Mark Schmidt, shot by Dean Cundey. Note their partnership — DPs and directors often return to each other across a career.
5Editor Richard Nord shaped the rhythm. On an edit-heavy film, the editor does more to control your pulse than the director.
6Jonas Armstrong and Hannah Tointon and Ben Kingsley carry the top of the cast.
7IMDB entry: tt1515208 — still the authoritative cross-reference for credits and trivia.
8Only 77 TMDB ratings — you're getting ahead of the curve on this one.

The technical file

Cinematography: Dean Cundey
Editing: Richard Nord
Production design: Christian Niculescu
Costume design: Oana Păunescu
Makeup / hair: Joyce A. Henriquez
VFX supervisor: Glenn Campbell
Sound: Steve Pederson
Runtime: 124 min · 2h 4m
Status: Released
Original language: EN
IMDB: Walking with the Enemy (2014)

Trailers & featurettes

Watch the pieces

Community reviews

What people are saying

Wuchak2026-10-03
★ 7/10
What happens in Hungary when the Wehrmacht invades in 1944 The postscript of the movie says that it “was inspired by the courage of Pinchas Rosenbaum whose passports and rescue missions saved thousands of lives. His family was murdered in Auschwitz along with 500,000 Hungarian Jews.” So, this is a variation of the “Schindler’s List” story set in the Budapest area. As such, don’t look for a typical WW2 movie with big battle sequences as it’s a behind-the-scenes mix of drama, suspense, war action and tragedy. Comparisons include films like “Charlotte Gray,” “Anthropoid,” “The Pianist” and “Defiance,” even “Inglorious Basterds” to a degree, although I’d rank it with the lesser ones, like “Charlotte Gray” or “Defiance.” I’ve heard some scoff at how easily the protagonist Elek Cohen (Jonas Armstrong) impersonates an SS officer, but Rosenbaum actually did this in real-life, as well as other disguises. You’d have to be a natural actor to pull it off, of course, but he obviously had the gift and the gonads to do so. I shouldn’t fail to add that Hannah Tointon is a plus on the feminine front. The tightened streaming version runs 1h 54m with the theatrical version running 10 minutes longer, the latter being released on physical media. It was initially shot in 2009 with reshoots done in 2010 and later additions in 2011-2013, such as the governmental storyline featuring Ben Kingsley. Filming was done at Castel Film Studios, which is located a dozen mile north of Bucharest, as well a church in Biertan, which is a 3½-hour drive northwest of the studio in the heart of Romania. These are good locations since Hungary borders Romania to the northwest. GRADE: B/B-

Production companies