Review of Das Boot (1981) by Ross L — 19 May 2008

A gleaming monument to sweaty undersea claustrophobia, Wolfgang Peterson's U-boat epic is a painstaking, intense, and ultimately ambiguous recreation of an often-glamourized world...

Those who find glimmers of triumphalism in "Das Boot"'s view of war submit to folly: there's no glory to be found in this grim floating coffin, at least none that couldn't be ripped away again by a well-placed depth charge. More curious is the apparent apolitical nature of the submarine division, though perhaps one has less patience for Nazi salutes after so many harrowing months at (and under) sea...

Politics aside, this film pins you down when it gets its adrenaline pumping, which is often enough. Occasionally heavy-handed, sure, but consistently entertaining and generally ahead of its time...