Incredible...

Rating: 10/10 (27 September 2005)

I consider "Saving Private Ryan" and "Schindler's List" to be pretty much the pinnacle of World War II films. Many others that I've seen, such as "Windtalkers" and "Enemy at the Gates," while each great movies in their own right, have never been able to equal the impact and flat-out power of those films. In fact, I believed for a long time that there were likely no war movies, World War II or otherwise, that could match the power of those filmsI'll be the first to admit, however, that my viewing of "Platoon" may need serious refreshing and that I've yet to see "Apocalypse Now". However, in my experience, even the impressive "Full Metal Jacket" fell a little short of the pure visual power of "Saving Private Ryan" or "Schindler's List." Well, I just finished a film that has done a remarkable job of proving me wrong.
"DOWNFALL" is based on the true story of the final days of the Third Reich in 1945, with incredible realism and stunning storytelling. In a word, I would actually call this film "riveting." In fact, I can't remember the last time I watched a foreign film (American that I am) that so intensely held my attention. At any rate, as I began, it takes place during the final days of WWII on the European front. Hitler has become and aged and weakened old man. The stress of illness, war, and his years in leadership have taken a heavy toll. Here, we have a man with a hunched stature and increasingly obvious palsy (I may have this confused with another condition, if I'm wrong I apologize--it may have been Parkinson's). In fact, we have one of the most evil men of the 20th century looking weak, defeated, old, and incredibly human. We view his paranoia growing as we watch his Generals lose faith. We see German people struggle to maintain their loyalty as they are torn by the will to live and escape the constant shelling of Berlin. We see a man who, through his intense hatred, looks weakened and frustrated that the grand plans he had for Germany and his people, well meaning as they may have been, has led to a no-way-out scenario which only continues to worsen. Much of the film is seemingly based upon historical fact, and especially, personal reports from another person whose story is closely followed in the film: That of Hitler's personal secretary, Traudl Junge. Much of what we see in this film was taken from her personal accounts of those last dreadful days.
Here's the breakdown:
The Good:
--First off, there was very little about this film not to like:
--The acting is brilliantly done, especially by Bruno Ganzwho is frighteningly perfect as Adolf Hitler.
--Excellent cinematography and photographyoften reminiscent of the brilliant, grittily realistic look "Saving Private Ryan."
--Arguably the highest production value of any foreign film I've yet seen.
--Incredible scenery and backgrounds. I can't imagine how this film was made on such a grand scale in tiny, cramped Germany. Even if filmed elsewhere in Europe, I can't quite imagine where they found these areas, so destroyed and so accurate.
--Incredible epic scope.
--Among the best sound effects I've heard from a foreign filmvery realistic.
--Several smaller stories are told which intertwine together brilliantly and give an excellent, all-around view of people, beliefs and opinions of many Germans during the war.
Didn't Hurt It, Didn't Help:
--The music is good and works perfectly, but nothing truly special or different.
--This war epic focuses less on graphic violence (though there is plenty) and more on the violent and conflicting personalities. It is then easier to equate this powerful film to "Schindler's List" than to "Saving Private Ryan" in this way.
--Characters often not properly introducedoccasionally confusing trying to follow all the characters--reminded me of "Passion of the Christ's" poor character development.
The Bad:
--The only problem with this film is that it's so well made, directed, filmed, and acted that I found myself feeling sorry for Nazis and even Hitler at times! The human aspect of this man comes through that well! But worry not, for the more sadistic side of his nature rarely fails to come through and keep you shocked and perhaps even, emotionally confused.
The Ugly:
--Any time children die.
Memorable Scene:
--This was another film with so many memorable scenes it's hard to pick just one. I'm going to go with any of the number of scenes where you feel the humanity of Adolf Hitler--because they seriously catch you off-guard.
Acting: 10/10 Story: 10/10 Atmosphere: 10/10 Cinematography: 9/10 Character Development: 9/10 Special Effects/Make-up: 10/10 Nudity/Sexuality: 3/10 (very little of either) Violence/Gore: 7/10 (not a "constant battlefield epic" so this is a quantity rating) Dialogue: 9/10 Music: 9/10 Direction: 10/10
Cheesiness: 0/10 Crappiness: 0/10
Overall: 10/10
I'm giving a "10" to this film for it's overall quality and intense visuals and characters, epic scope, and well, basically everything. I highly recommend this to all fans of War films, especially those of World War II and WWII buffs. All this despite the fact that I believe that "Schindler's List" may actually be a slightly better and more powerful film. But this is damn close.
www.ResidentHazard.com