nazi kate winslet

‘The Reader’ Trailer: Kate Winslet Plays a NILF

Catherine Opie’s Untitled #10 (Surfers) (2003).

Tagline: “Behind the mystery lies a truth that will make you question everything you believe.”

Translation: But probably only if you’ve never seen an awards-baiting movie about Nazis before.

The Verdict: Fast on the heels of Friday’s better-than-expected new Valkyrie trailer comes this clip for fall’s other big movie featuring a Nazi protagonist. In The Reader — the film whose bumped-up release date somehow ruffled the tempers of typically laid-back producers Harvey Weinstein and Scott Rudin — Kate Winslet plays a former SS prison guard on trial for war crimes, and Ralph Fiennes plays the much-younger lawyer who loves her. Reader is the Weinstein Company’s best hope for an Academy Award this year, and, given the talent involved, we’re sure it’ll be okay (even if this trailer makes it look a little boring) — but if Winslet takes home an Oscar, she’d better thank Tom Cruise’s eye patch for making the idea of a Nazi cougar seem comparatively less funny this awards season.

‘The Reader’ Trailer: Kate Winslet Plays a NILF