Operation Curveball

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2:07

Operation Curveball

2021

1h 48m

Comedy

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Tomatometer

Popcornmeter

71%

Tomatometer

7 Reviews

100%

Popcornmeter

Fewer than 50 Ratings

Bioweapons expert Wolf of the German Federal Intelligence Service BND is obsessed with the idea that, despite the UN inspections, anthrax is still being produced in Iraq. Back home in Germany, his superior Schatz assigns him as case officer for the Iraqi asylum seeker Rafid Alwan -- because Alwan claims to have worked as an engineer for Saddam Hussein's secret bioweapons program. It's a rare triumph for a secret service not exactly spoiled by success: finally, they have a piece of intelligence that would put them one step ahead of the CIA. What they are missing, though, is proof. The search for which proves difficult, as 'Curveball' is well aware of his value to the agency. His claims, meanwhile, end up serving a number of decidedly different interests -- the CIA, the German government, everyone is trying to use his incredible story for their own purposes. Thus, bit by bit, a construed story becomes reality and a lie becomes the truth. A truth, which sets in motion a chain of events that forever changes the global political landscape.

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Peter Debruge

Variety

04/01/2020

History is written by the victors, whereas satires really ought to be written by cleverer wits than these.

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Wendy Ide

Screen International

02/27/2020

It's a slick and frequently very amusing film about a profoundly dispiriting period of history.

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Erick Estrada

Cinegarage

07/18/2023

Well-acted and with a tone that's very hard to achieve... Johannes Naber does a great job delivering this true story to the screen. [Full review in Spanish]

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Carey-Ann Pawsey

Orca Sound

11/07/2021

3/5

An unbelievable story becomes reality here.

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Stephen Silver

Splice Today

10/14/2021

3/5

It's a mostly compelling and often infuriating telling of the tale, although it makes a strange choice in centering not on Curveball himself but a group of German officials

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Jonathan W. Hickman

The Newnan Times-Herald

10/09/2021

7/10

An entertaining, eclectic mix of fact and educated speculation, "Operation Curveball" is an unusual, scathing political comedy that owes a lot to the success of Kubrick's 1964 classic "Strangelove."

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10/13/2021

Operation CurveBall is an amazing satire about the first big lie the republican party told us... That ther=re were weapons of mass destruciton in Iraq. remember those days? Colin Powell, Donald Rumsfeld at the UN....lying their asses off. Well it turns out these were all based on a lie from German intelligence, and this is that story. The CIA knew it was a debunked iraqi spy but the US went ahead with the invasion of Iraq anyway! great acting, a terrific date film.

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Johannes Naber

Director

Dar Salim

Rafid Alwan

Virginia Kull

Leslie

Sebastian Blomberg

Wolf

Thorsten Merten

Schatz

Franziska Brandmeier

Meg

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Operation Curveball: Trailer 1

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Synopsis

Bioweapons expert Wolf of the German Federal Intelligence Service BND is obsessed with the idea that, despite the UN inspections, anthrax is still being produced in Iraq. Back home in Germany, his superior Schatz assigns him as case officer for the Iraqi asylum seeker Rafid Alwan -- because Alwan claims to have worked as an engineer for Saddam Hussein's secret bioweapons program. It's a rare triumph for a secret service not exactly spoiled by success: finally, they have a piece of intelligence that would put them one step ahead of the CIA. What they are missing, though, is proof. The search for which proves difficult, as 'Curveball' is well aware of his value to the agency. His claims, meanwhile, end up serving a number of decidedly different interests -- the CIA, the German government, everyone is trying to use his incredible story for their own purposes. Thus, bit by bit, a construed story becomes reality and a lie becomes the truth. A truth, which sets in motion a chain of events that forever changes the global political landscape.

Director: Johannes Naber
Producer: Amir Hamz, Christian Springer, Fahri Ögün Yardim
Screenwriter: Oliver Keidel, Johannes Naber
Distributor: Rock Salt Releasing
Production Co: ARRI Media Productions, Bon Voyage Films
Genre: Comedy
Original Language: German
Release Date (Theaters): Oct 8, 2021, Limited
Release Date (Streaming): Oct 12, 2021
Runtime: 1h 48m