Ganz is the star, not the endless supporting cast

Rating: 7/10 (10 March 2008)

With a stunning visual, complete with ravaged sets, realistic uniforms and murky cinematography, Der Untergang still has a greater asset: Bruno Ganz's mesmerizing performance. In the main role, he manages to follow all the lines the screenplay draws to him, varying from a decadent tyrant whose fits of anger sprout every minute, to a decaying Parkinson victim, to the gentleman that gained millions of Germans' trust with gentleman-ship. As faults, there is the awful lot of supporting roles that you barely remember at the end (the movie explains their destinies, but you can't recall what exactly they've done) and Alexandra Maria Lara's character, the uninteresting secretary of Hitler who never deserves the attention the film gives her - and Lara does little to make us like her. It was correct to show Hitler in all manners possible, because it leaves for viewers to decide when he makes sense and when he deserves the label of insane demon he has got. A daring character study that tries to give visibility to a man, not the legendary monster. He is still a monster, but this is no ideological movie: it just shows every sides of the story.