Stellar cast revives an era long gone

Rating: 8/10 (9 October 2013)

Let me start this review by pointing out my favorite scenes of the film: It starts and closes with interview footage from the real Traudl Junge, Hitler's secretary who's portrayed later on by Alexandra Maria Lara. It's as interesting as devastating to watch this old woman discuss her perception of existence or lack of guilt when it comes to her role in the Third Reich. It immediately gets you into the subject and mood and they really couldn't have started the film more convincingly. Next would be the surreal dance sequence instigated by Eva Braun and Köhler's "I WANT TO DANCE" is as bizarre as it gets in that situation with bombs hitting everywhere nearby. The comment of Lara's character and her collapse afterward summarize the ambiance perfectly and game me massive chills. Next would be Corinna Harfouch playing Magda Goebbels, the "mother of the nation" and her scenes with her children towards the end. Heartbreaking and so well-acted. And then, there is of course Bruno Ganz. I'm not sure if it's his very best performance, but it's certainly his most famous and it's good to see him getting the recognition for a lifetime of great acting. He has many good scenes here and delivers one of the most intriguing portrayals of a significant historic character. Of course, there's his angry speech to Keitel, Jodl, Krebs and Burgdorf about the attack from Steiner which was an order and should have taken place in any case, the one you may have seen spoofed with English fake subtitles quite a few times.
The film is probably the most famous one from Oliver Hirschbiegel, who gloriously failed with Naomi Watts' Diana biopic just recently. That came as a bit of a surprise, but then again, if you look at "Downfall", not that much. Not to diminish his efforts, but the real strengths of the film lie somewhere else, not necessarily in his direction. Here, we get one of the finest ensemble performances in the history of cinema that truly made the movie and maybe also made up for flaws in the script. Ganz, Lara, Harfouch, Köhler and Matthes are nothing short of excellent and you could probably find at least another five performances who elevate the material considerably. Christian Berkel is just one example. Away from the Führerbunker, we follow his path for a big part of the film and this is where we see the harm that is really done and does not really make it through the thick walls of the bunker: the casualties, the injured, the children and there was one scene in wwhich his character enters a room full of old people, basically all left behind to die. That one hit me particularly hard.
Every German should have seen this film at least once and from the large quantity of (sometimes underwhelming) WWII movies, this is one that shouldn't be missed by foreign viewers either. And this statement comes from somebody who considers war maybe his least favorite genre. It's entertaining, emotional, historically significant and packed with quality acting the way it should always be. I recommend this movie a lot. It's a prime example of coming to terms appropriately, a film that never sacrifices relevance for showiness and manages to avoid the slightest ounce of boredom in its very long 150 minutes.