Trylly Compelling and Realistic!

Rating: 10/10 (7 May 2005)

I have seen quite many WW2 films in the past, yet very few of them managed to amaze and shock me as "Der Untergang" did. Under Oliver Hirschbiegel's excellent direction, we watch the agonizing last hours inside Hitler's bunker, as accounted for by his young secretary Traudl Junge (Alexandra Maria Lara). We watch Hitler (Bruno Ganz), in his peak of his insanity, as he awaits for imaginary troops to save him and his motherland, while his closest associates start to realize that the game is over and begin to desert him en masse. We watch Eva Brown (Juliane Kohler), who amidst the turmoil and destruction, her main preoccupation is to die looking beautiful, so she chooses the poison instead of the bullet. We watch Frau Goebells (Corinna Harfouch) who prefers to have her children killed than live in a world of "decadants". All in all, we watch the members of the Nazi elite and their entourage spending their last moments awaiting their well-deserved fate, with their reactions varying from binge drinking to committing suicide.
Bruno Ganz delivers an amazing performance definitely worthy of an Oscar. He is amazing as Hitler, switching from manic and hysterical to sweet and caring, in an a paranoid way. The other members of the cast are also doing a great job, portraying the personalities of that time in a highly realistic way. The fact that the dialogs are in German adds to the astonishing realism of the film even more, making it look like a professional documentary.
Some people accused the film for displaying Hitler in a more "humane" manner than appropriate. I definitely disagree with the accusation: Hitler is not displayed as humane; he is simply portrayed exactly as he was, namely a paranoid and ruthless fanatic, yet who had also some moments in which he displayed compassion and fondness. The whole point is to see this monstrous personality exactly as he was, and not try to conceal some aspects of his character in the name of political correctness; Hirschbiegel deserves credit for achieving this difficult goal immaculately.
"Der Untergang" is a 10/10 film which everyone should watch.