Review of Downfall (1997) by Joe H — 18 Jul 2013

Painfully morose and overlong, Downfall is thoughtful, but not forceful or particularly powerful. The supreme conflict portrayed Downfall's portrayal of the death of the Third Reich was not between the Russian invaders and the German Army, but rather between those Germans who followed Hitler religiously, and those Germans who began to become painfully aware that they had been following a madman the whole time.

The film addresses this ponderously but when it should, it doesn't pull any punches. The conflict has significant implications, and could have been a more interesting and more detailed examination of human nature.

But, alas, the film feels staggered, and painful, and sad, much like Hitler himself, its tragically contemptible centerpiece.