What a fantastic movie!

Rating: 10/10 (17 May 2018)

I never even heard of "Downfall" before, guess it played in very few American theaters. It was on Netflix a few months ago, I was wondering if I should even bother with it, looked up the trailer on YouTube, thought it was worth my while & sat down with a bowl of popcorn. I was blown away by this movie, everything about it was great, even though the people around Hitler weren't readily identified (such as in "The Longest Day," another great film), you could pick out Josef & Magda Goebbels, Henrich Himmler, Eva Braun. It's like you, the audience, is there in the bunker with Hitler, watching/listening to him rant & rave to his generals. I would have loved to have seen what life was really like during the last few weeks in Hitler's bunker, but "Downfall" probably comes closer than any other movie.
Bruno Ganz should have at least been nominated for an Oscar. The Academy blew it, though (not unusual).
This amazing movie didn't get the publicity it deserved when it released. I have never cared for western or war movie genres but there are some exceptions and "Downfall" is one of them. Other war movies I've enjoyed--just for the record--are "Das Boot" (another great German film), "Hacksaw Ridge," "Schlinder's List," "The Pianist," "Saving Private Ryan," "The Longest Day," "The Great Escape," "Valkyrie," "Conspiracy," and "Tora! Tora! Tora!" Haven't seen much beyond that (wait, does "The Final Countdown" count?)
Anyway, check out Downfall!