A gripping biopic of history's greatest monster

Rating: 8/10 (7 December 2014)

Oliver Hirschbiegel's Downfall plays like a solemn, mournful dirge as it chronicles the last days of Hitler's Germany, as seen by his personal stenographer, Traudl Jung (Alexandria Maria Lara.) It is a tale of a city's death, and the fate of those whose actions were responsible for it. It is above all, an unflinching portrait of one of the most reprehensible people in history, yet one that never allows itself to forget that even he was human.
After brief interview footage with Frau Jung, and a scene showing her first meeting with Hitler, the story moves to Berlin, April 1945. The Third Reich, which was to last a thousand years, is in full collapse. Russian artillery pounds the city from positions only a few miles away. The people know that the end is approaching, and pray only that they will survive it.
Below the streets, deep inside the Furherbunker, many have come to the same conclusions. The top generals realize that they can only delay the inevitable for so long. Himmler, Goering, and the other Nazi bigwigs who for years trumpeted their loyalty to the ideals of National Socialism can hardly wait to flee. And in the center of it all is the Furhur himself.
Bruno Ganz' portrayal of Hitler is absolutely brilliant. Here is a man who once ruled all Europe from the English Channel to the outskirts of Moscow. Now he is confined to his bunker as his empire dies. He is haggard and high strung from lack of sleep and a steady stream of bad news. His mood swings wildly with each new development. At times he remains convinced that final victory is at hand, that all will be saved as soon as this thrust or that breaks through the encircling Russians. He discusses his plans for a new, rebuilt Berlin with Marshal Speer and tells the new Luftwaffe commandeer that he has thousands of jet fighters ready to take to the skies.
But when he hears that the planned counterattack has failed, his rage is terrible to behold as he lashes out at his generals. He rants and raves about their cowardice and disloyalty, until exhausted, he falls into despair, declaring that all is lost. This cycle is repeated multiple times; with Hitler believing that one nonexistent force or another will safe him, then ranting against his enemies, both real and imagined, then settling into melancholy as he comes to terms with- and plans- his own death.
Through all of this, Ganz is entirely convincing, capturing both his madness and his humanness. When he gets angry, his face reddens and the veins in his forehead bulge. He looks, and sounds, just like Hitler did at the Nuremburg rallies. When he loses touch and talks about his grandiose plans, he speaks with such earnestness that those around him can only nod in agreement. When he talks of the Jews and the Russians, his voice goes cold, his eyes narrow, and everything human leaves his face.
And those around him must also come to grips with the reality of their situation. Some take an attitude of "Eat, drink and be merry, for tomorrow we die." His mistress, Eva Braun, even holds a party on the surface, until it is broken up by artillery fire. Others cling to faith in final victory, refusing to believe that Germany can lose, until even they can no longer deny it. Some reach a calm fatalism, accepting that their end has come. Still others, like Frau Jung, realize that their only hope is to escape.
The end, when it finally comes is swift. After Hitler's suicide, it is left only for the remaining occupants to either follow suit or flee for their lives, hoping to make it through the enemy lines, as the city burns and the last remaining die-hards make their final stands. Watching this unfold, the characters' fear and anguish are palpable, as is the sheer pointlessness of their struggle. And yet Downfall manages to fully convey the hopelessness, despair, and chaos without giving in to them. This is perhaps the movie's greatest strength. Although it draws you into a bunker mentality, and does not flinch from showing the chaos desolation of the Reich's last days, in the end, you are reminded that somehow, life goes on.