questionable moral and intent at best

Rating: 4/10 (7 October 2005)

it is a well-made, well-acted movie. i am just not sure that it gives a perspective that was needed. i, for one, never doubted that Hitler was a human being. i don't feel enriched by the experience of actually seeing him be a human being on screen.
i am sure that the movie is accurate enough and it certainly is convincingly realistic. it forces no viewpoint, passes no judgment. and it is, for the main part, confounded to the bunker and events there. and that is a part of the problem for me. in a way, perhaps we can assume that everyone knows the facts of what has gone on outside and it is hard to make a movie showing all side, it is already 2.5 hrs long. but. by limiting the action to the bunker, all we see are people under extreme stress. what is the point of that? we do not explore what the actions of the people have brought onto everyone else. we are simply dealing with human reactions when their world collapses.
it is clear that Hitler, at least by the time he is in the bunker, is deranged. it is clear that most of his followers are equally deranged in their devotion to the fuhrer. it is also clear that some of his top officials lied to him and yet others did not. all are human, human, human. so what? did anyone actually ever doubt it? it is an interesting movie that deals with real events and how people react under extreme stress. but i did not need to see *these* people under extreme stress if all there is to it is their plight. and that is what the movie is about. i have a problem with that.