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I bought this film because I like Martin Sheen! Also life in Berlin at the time of the Wall has always fascinated me. The film is based on the factual book of the same name by Judge Herbert Stern. When an East German highjacks a plane into the American sector of West Berlin, the East Germans demanded the return of the highjacker and neither the West German or the West Berlin governments wanted to touch the issue. So the American Judge Stern (played by Sheen) is brought in to decide whether or not the highjacker should be convicted as a criminal. Although mainly a complex courtroom drama, there is enough action interspersed to keep one's interest. Sheen's performance was excellent, although as he is the son of a Spanish father and Irish mother, I found it a little strange at first that he should be playing a Jewish judge! He showed humour, compassion and humanity while dealing with the intricacies of the difficult situation of the American judicial system being operated in West Berlin (albeit the American sector). Sometimes the intricacies were a little difficult to follow, and I felt that at times the film did not provide enough depth or explanation of these. However, the final testimony of one of the plane's passengers (played by Sean Penn) provided a real twist in the tale, and Penn was a very believable character. The fact that the whole film was shot in West Berlin gave additonal realism, with views of the infamous Wall an d the contrast beween West and East. Definitely worth watching!Read full review