Captivating with stunning performances and a powerful underlying message

Rating: 8/10 (26 April 2005)

This is a dramatized account of Hitler's final days in his bunker at the end of World War II. The story is told partly through the eyes of his most fervent supporters as well as his last secretary, Traudl Junge. Downfall is a cinematic triumph that has the potential to be completely misunderstood, but it seems most critics and viewers are grasping it. The filmmakers assume the audience is familiar with the history of the Holocaust, and focuses solely on Hitler and his interactions with his loyal supporters and family at the end of his reign. The story is a bit uneven and has trouble deciding whether it's Hitler's narrative or Jungle's narrative. But ultimately, it is a character study of Hitler in his final days--a man who wanted to retain his power so badly that he wanted to sacrifice the German civilians that he claimed to be saving. It is also a portrait of a group of people who are so unquestionably zealous in their beliefs and how they react to the destruction of their power. The performances are haunting and emotional, especially by Bruno Ganz (Hitler), Alexandra Maria Lara (Traudl Junge), and Juliane Kohler (Eva Braun). Some might think this is an insensitive film or "sympathetic" to Hitler, but this is not how I saw it. This is an important film and exactly what the world needs right now. Hitler wasn't a monster that should be seen as an anomaly in the human race. He was a human being capable of monstrosities. There are plenty of people today with political power that are committing monstrosities and they shouldn't be followed blindly.
My Rating: 8/10.