Albert Einstein, yes, Einstein, in the 40s decides to return to Germany to steal the amber room from the Nazis who've found it and are transporting it somewhere. Einstein and friends intercept the train, take it over, and leave some hints behind. Apparently there's something in the amber room that can be used as a weapon.
In our time, some Indy Jones look-alike is searching for something in caves. He solves the riddles and finds the bag he's looking for. On his way out he and a lovely blonde girl are attacked by some villains in a chopper. The guy is shot. The thing he found is Einstein's bag and the girl is his great granddaughter.
When the guy wakes up months later in a hospital he's welcomed by his girlfriend and some sidekick, but he has amnesia and doesn't know who they are, who he is or what's going on. He also meets his pretty daughter later and warms up to the idea that he's a treasure hunter. His girlfriend wants to know what he was up to when he was shot, why there is a receipt for a room for two when she wasn't invited.
Eventually they trace their way back to the blonde who is a botanist looking for the all-curing herb silphium. When they inspect Einstein's bag and discover a compass, the villains re-appear and blow the place up. As it turns out, they work for a pharmaceutical CEO who's also after silphium in order to sell it to the military and create invincible soldiers.
The hints Einstein left take the group to some spectacular places in Germany with the villains always a step behind. Of course eventually the CEO will have to confront out heroes in person just as everyone finds what they're after. There's also some surprise deception.
The Hunt for the Amber Room is an elaborate production for a TV movie. It's got a very attractive female cast in Zimmerman, Blendl, and the terribly underused Gerhardt. It shows some great sights, like the spectacular Völkerschlachtdenkmal and the Eagle's Nest. What I appreciated is that the movie is actually educational. Who knew about Konrad Zuse- the inventor of the computer, or about silphium, or about the amber room. If there is a problem it's the uncharismatic male lead. They were going for a look and not acting chops unfortunately. And as always with German productions, the annoying and whiny recorded male voices drive me nuts. Overall a good entry in what I understand is somewhat of a series of movies.
