A bravura piece of storytelling

Rating: 8/10 (27 April 2012)

The story of Hitler's last days in the Berlin bunker is a riveting, almost factual piece of film-making that feels more like a documentary than a movie. Despite the lengthy running time, DOWNFALL is never less than gripping thanks to the stark realism and depth of character present at all times.
It certainly makes for uncomfortable viewing in that it gets you sympathising with the top Nazi officials on multiple occasions. Even Hitler himself seems, well, human. That's the genius of DOWNFALL: it avoids painting characters in black and white terms of good and evil, instead showing that the German commanders were only misguided people after all.
Most WW2 movies adopt Allied perspectives of the war, so I found this to be a refreshing change of pace. The movie is expertly shot and acted, emphasising subtlety throughout. The cameraman sits back and lets the cast do their jobs, and what jobs! Bruno Ganz (NOSFERATU THE VAMPYRE) is brilliant as Hitler, and everyone else ups their ante to rival his turn. By turns moving and horrific, disturbing and poignant, DOWNFALL is a mature, engrossing and reflective piece of storytelling.