The Exception

Philandering Nazis, saucy servants, preposterous subterfuge — there's a touch of 'Allo 'Allo! in this espionage wartime thriller.

The ridiculousness levels are very high.

The film moves at a good lick and it's directed with a light touch by David Leveaux.

The dialogue's sometimes clunky, and allusions to the atrocities of war are glossed over. But if you're in the mood for a sexy, pacy period thriller, it does the job.

The Exception's line is not an easy one to walk, this marriage of soapy melodrama and real-world events, and with Courtney leading the parade, it's destined for failure.

For all its late-in-the-game silliness, "The Exception" is a solidly acted, well-told tale about how love of country holds up in the face of other, less nationalistic passions.

The Exception never lets itself drown in the horror that we all know's just off-screen

A perfectly adequate World War II story that features one tremendous performance and little else.

Fuelled by strong performances and suspense, The Exception is persuasive in its belief that even the most casual cruelty can have potentially devastating consequences.

Even if you like historical romances, this is likely to be an exception.