Mesmerising

Rating: 9/10 (24 April 2005)

Being English, I have a natural disposition to avoid foreign language films, because reading subtitles is a bit of a chore and I'm sure I'm missing out on some of the finer nuances of the dialogue. Nevertheless, after seeing this movie, I almost want to learn German so I can go back and watch this movie without having to worry about subtitles. Not since Europa Europa and Das Boot have I been so impressed with the depth and scope of film making as I have been after Downfall(Der Untergang). Bruno Ganz' performance is just mesmerising and I, like others have said, really did start to believe that Ganz really was Hitler. Support cast were top notch as well. Unmissable. Some may have noticed Rolf Kanies(General der Infanterie Hans Krebs) also appeared in the German-Canadian scifi, Lexx as President Reginald J. Priest.