Das Boot

December 11, 2004

Rated: R Runtime: 210 min Rating: 5 out of 5 stars

DVD Quick Take

Easily the best submarine movie ever made, even if it is three and a half hours long!

Das Boot follows the journey of a German U-Boat crew as they search for allied ships during WWII. Funny thing is that even though you know these guys are the enemy, you can’t help rooting for them from time to time as you get to understand they are just soldiers doing their jobs.

The movie was shot almost entirely inside of a real German U-boat which lets you really get a feel for the close quarters these men had to work and live in. The camera work is excellent, and the story is so well written and directed that you’ll immediately forgive the second rate special effects used during explosions and such.

Something to be aware of before you purchase this movie. This is a German film, and as such was acted in German. To get a real feel for the actors emotions you’d think you would need to listen to the German audio track and read along with the English subtitles. In fact, the English dub is so well done that you forget after a few minutes that you’re listening to a dub… just don’t look at the actors mouths when they are talking.

It also warrants pointing out that the Dolby Digital 5.1 mix is excellent. At one point of the movie when the sub goes a little too deep, a bolt pops out and fly’s around the bridge. During this sequence you’ll instinctively duck… the sound is that good as the bolt fly’s from speaker to speaker.

Posted by John | Filed Under 5 Stars, Action, DVD, Herbert Gronemeyer, Jurgen Prochnow, R