Downfall (2004)

Downfall

• I’m gonna try to keep this review somewhat short, because I don’t want to give away too much. Come to think of it, there’s nothing to spoil, since it’s based on true events and it’s been public knowledge since 1945. However, the film has left me feeling very hollow, and the reason why I don’t want to talk about it is because I want you to experience everything firsthand. I always get invested in most war films, specifically WWII, and this was no different. There’s a catch, though: this isn’t a Hollywood film that Americanizes everything. It’s straight from the German POV of the Nazi’s and their final stand in the last few days of Hitler’s life. Now, there’s some discourse about how this film humanizes Hitler and the Nazi’s, showing you how they were “just people” and how the film tries to garner sympathy for them. From my perspective, that is absolutely NOT true. While the film doesn’t show the major atrocities committed by the Nazi’s, you still walk away with an immense hatred for each Nazi. Obviously. So yes, the film does humanize each person, but it doesn’t condone their actions or justify what they did. It simply shows an inside look on the central command. The way that the information and characters are presented make this feel like a documentary, though it’s not. The film builds an environment and atmosphere that feel more realistic than most war films I’ve ever seen. Every second, every scene, I was right there with them. Major kudos to the cast and crew. Speaking of which, the cast is fantastic from every single person, and I never once wondered, “Who is playing this person?” The whole time, I was thinking, “These are the real people.” That’s how good they were. Bruno Ganz is pretty much the definitive cinematic Hitler for me. Of every representation of Hitler I’ve seen (in film/TV), this one is THE one. Nothing will come close to touching it. What a wonderful job from Ganz. Well, it looks like the review is longer than I wanted it to be, so I won’t say anything else. It’s a hollow, dark, depressing film that shows the smaller details, and it quite honestly blew me away. I would recommend it to all war/drama fans. This film is officially Berry Approved, so go watch it now!