Das Boot 1981
- Director: Wolfgang Petersen
- Seen by this director: The Perfect Storm, Enemy Mine
- Based on the book by Lothar G Buchheim
- Cast: Jürgen Prochnow, Herbert Grönemeyer
- Personal “oh yeah him/her” reaction, i.e. have seen this actor in:
- Jürgeb Prochnow – The English Patient, A Dry White Season, Dune
- Herbert Grönemeyer – Control
- Why? Rave reviews
- Seen: 8 October 2022
1941. A German U-boat. The war at sea is
not going well for Germany.
The captain (Prochnow) is not a Nazi and
has no respect for the country’s leaders. The crew are mostly very young with
great respect for the captain but no one else. There is one rigid Nazi, a rich
man’s son, and an enthusiastic but naïve and frightened journalist (Grönemeyer).
There is boredom while waiting for
something to happen, excitement when something does, attack, danger, storms.
It’s tense, gritty, claustrophobic,
realistic and quite boring. There are moments of excitement and humour but it’s
very long and not a film to see after a night of little sleep. I find the
ending irritating rather than tragic. Cheap trick.
It certainly is not a masterpiece, and it does not in any way deserve all the 10* reviews and gushing ‘best film evers’. Still, it has merit: the close-up portrayals, the refusal to glorify war, the meaningless of it all. I can admire it for its ambition, but I cannot love it.
3* of 5
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