Cannot see what seems to be so compelling about Down Fall

Rating: 3/10 (7 April 2005)

Went to see Down Fall because I heard Bruno Ganz was worth seeing. He was worth seeing. But after the sixth or seventh of his scenes I found his role and his portrayal of Hitler uninteresting. The movie was not worth watching; though I suppose if you wanted a synopsis of what went on in the bunker the story covers a lot of ground. I left the theater after the sound of the shot. We are led to believe that Hitler has shot himself. Main gripes: Too long, Cheap looking locations, Too many characters (OK so there were a lot of people who wanted Hitler to surrender, to leave, to try and lessen the horror of Berlin's citizens) I couldn't see the purpose of recounting each one, This looked liked what it was; a made for TV movie. We get a glimpse of one viewpoint. The newly wed Eva Braun tries to suggest that maybe Hitler was of two distinct persona. The man versus the leader of the National Socialists. But that or any sort of real explanation for the different moods Ganz portrays are not developed.