Colonel Redl is based on a true story. Set during the fading glory of the Austro-Hungarian empire, the film tells of the rise and fall of Alfred Redl, an ambitious young officer. Redl, a poverty-stricken Ukrainian of the early 20th century, laboriously works his way into the highest circles of the Imperial Austrian Army. Throughout his upward ascent, Redl is able to keep his homosexuality from becoming public knowledge. Because of his mastery of several languages, Redl is sent by Emperor Franz Joseph to spy on the Russians. Playing one country against the other, Redl enjoys the sexual and monetary favours from both sides of the espionage spectrum until word of his gayness leaks out and he is blackmailed...
