Near perfect

Rating: 10/10 (10 July 2007)

This is one of the best movies I have seen. It made me an instant fan of Ulrich Mühe, whose performance was convincing, intelligent and moving.
In what may be spoilers (avert eyes if you have not seen the film), I will address a point another reviewer made about the point where and why Wiesler turns.
Wiesler is a socialist true believer. He draws no distinction between leadership and underlings in the lunchroom. He does he job very well, but he leads a very modest life (e.g. rice and food from a tube). That is why he is able to do such an unctuous job without qualms.
That is until he learns of how corrupt his leadership is. He learns that he has been tasked with digging up dirt on Dreyman not because there is any dirt, but because one of the party bigwigs sees the writer as a rival for the carnal attentions of Sieland. He decides that he will not be party to the corruption, and that is where his first act of insurrection begins - alerting Dreyman to the fact that Sieland is being coerced into relations with Minister Hempf. Ever smart, he does this through an act of plausible deniability - making the doorbell ring fortuitously.
His subversive activities escalate throughout the film, but the above moment is where it truly begins, and why. He is tested several times throughout the movie. His urge to do as trained conflicts with his urge to do what is right, and he goes with what is right. It certainly helps that he lives such a lonely existence without anything really to live for.
Another point that few other reviewers bore noticing. It shows that life post 1989 is not all beer and skittles. Graffiti is omnipresent, Wiesler is reduced to a task that only the most rabid Ayn Rand fanatic could get excited about - delivering junk mail, and foreigners are colonizing Germany. Perhaps there was some good in the GDR after all. Subtle, but the point was made.
This movie also serves to highlight that if those in power want to watch you, you will be watched, and you won't be able to detect it (especially with 20 years technology more than the GDR ever had). I hope that if you are worthy of this honor, you will someone as kind as HGW looking out for you.