Review of Downfall (1997) by Simon W — 28 Nov 2010

I am on record many times as stating that war films just aren't my thing. This is no exception. The performances are outstanding, however, and I rarely found myself questioning whether what was happening on-screen had actually happened. There was one especially touching scene, the children's "bedtime" scene, which was pretty tough to sit through. But there are two big problems I had with this movie.

Firstly, the nature of this story is one of "the end". As a result, the film feels like it's wrapping up at about an hour in. But it then goes on for another 90 minutes, including 30 after Hitler's death (spoiler alert!).

The second is that of the portrayal of Hitler. Whilst Gantz's performance is never less than 100% convincing, we arrive into the story at a point where Hitler is already a demented, defeated, raving lunatic- and he goes downhill from there. As a result, the film lacks any colour or actual insight. Hitler wasn't a compassionate man, and his Nazis were misguided, but fully-committed idealists. I get it. But I knew that 150 minutes ago.

At the end, I feel neither enlightened, nor entertained.