Set in 1936, teams of two compete to get to the summit of the mountain while onlookers from below watch with great interest with binoculars from a cabin below. It was just before World War II, and Germany intended to show its prowess. Germany was set to host the Winter Olympics just months later, and the Nazi propaganda machine was ready to work. Named the Eiger, the Swiss sierra had never been conquered. Urged to compete were the best alpinists from each nation. Two advanced German climbers named Toni Kurz (Benno Fürmann – Jerichow, In Darkness) and Andi Hinterstoisser (Florian Lukas – The Grand Budapest Hotel, When We Leave) reluctantly enter the competition. They seem more aware of the potential risks associated with the event than some competitors who cannot properly weigh risk vs. reward. Toni, the better climber, is also the more hesitant of the two. The Murder Wall, as it has been often called, had never been conquered, and Toni doesn’t think racing to get up is the best thing to do. As he is training, he runs into Luise (Johanna Wokalek – Barefoot, Aimée & Jaguar), the early love of his life. She is a journalist and has come with her boss, a loyal Nazi, to report the progress of the climbers. However, she is less of a journalist and more of a gopher girl, and her boss Arau makes this known to everyone. Luise’s presence may or may not have influenced Toni’s decision to participate, but regardless, he decides to climb.

I’ll leave the plot at that, except that each pair of climbers featured in this movie (which is three pairs) experiences some severe hardship as they fight the elements of the mountain. In the first paragraph, I mentioned the word horrific, and that’s what the second half of the movie is. The filming must have been insane because everything feels so incredibly real. Nothing is rushed. It’s as if we can feel each painstaking step. Each time we see a man shivering, we count our blessings for being in the comforts of our homes. The cinematography is fantastic. And as these men walk further and further up this grueling mountain that refuses to let them conquer it, we uncomfortable shift on our couches. These men are going through complete hell, and we are witnessing it all. The last 30-45 minutes are cannot miss movie-watching for adventure junkies. Your mouth will hang open as you await the fate of each man.