Das Boot Review

MPAA Rating: R
Released: 1981

Das Boot is a gripping and sometimes horrifying look at the lives of the crewmen aboard a German submarine in the midst of World War II, when Germany and England were battling for supremacy over the Atlantic Ocean. Nominated for 6 Academy Awards, Wolfgang Petersen's Das Boot is arguably the best submarine film ever created.

Das Boot was originally created to be a six-hour German mini-series, but before being released to American cinemas it was cut down to 2.5 hours in length and, of course, dubbed in English. Upon its release to DVD, the director's cut became available, which added about an hour's worth of material originally cut from the cinematic version. It's this 3.5 hour-long version of the film that was used as a basis for this review.

As the film opens we see a group of proud young German men celebrating their last night on land, for come tomorrow each of them will be heading out to sea for an extended period of time aboard the German submarine U-96. Although most viewers are fully prepared to vilify the celebrating Germans (and rightfully so), we come to see them as little different than any soldier recruited to fight for one's country. They have families; they have fears; they have a pride for country; and they have doubts about the government they fight for.

To many it could be considered outrageous to craft a film that takes a sympathetic look at the German forces during the horror known as World War II, but Das Boot unflinchingly does exactly that. Throughout the film we witness the heart and heroism of the young, untested crew as they come to terms with life aboard the claustrophobic u-boat and the sacrifices of war. In fact, we actually grow to like these young men, and although we cannot celebrate their mission to sink English ships, we find ourselves a bit torn since we don't want to see them hurt either.

The film cannot be condemned for this stance, because it's a brutally honest reality of war. While it's human nature to paint opposing forces as one-dimensional caricatures deserving of defeat (particularly in movies), in reality most participants in wars are not evil men, but rather countrymen that must do as their government demands. Most would agree on the surface the adage "my country right or wrong" is flawed and dangerous, soldiers are expected to adhere to this statement. Whether right or wrong, when they are called to defend their country they do so, even if they disagree with the politics of the decisions.

And disagree these Germans do. Captain Henrich Lehmann-Willenbrock (Jurgen Prochnow), the grizzled and experienced commander charged with leading the fresh recruits, looks upon both England and the Nazi leadership with equal disdain. He loves his country and fellow countrymen, but he does not hate his foe – he's just doing his job, as most soldiers do.

This humanity is reflected in a scene where the German submarine launches a torpedo at a flaming destroyer to finish it off, six hours after it was originally incapacitated. To his horror, he realizes that the ship was not abandoned during that time as soldiers leap overboard pleading for their lives. While some of his crew break down and weep at the realization of what they just did, the captain angrily condemns the British government for not sending rescue ships to pick up their men seeing how they had six hours to do so.

Das Boot does not whitewash life aboard a submarine either; it shows just how claustrophobic, dank and miserable submarine life really is. Due to the brilliant cinematography we almost feel like we're a part of the actual crew. The cast grows steadily more dirty and unshaven as the film progresses, and they joke about realities they face, such as the ever-present stench of body odors and shared, cramped living quarters. Life in a prison cell is a luxury compared to what submarine crews faced during World War II.

Submarines are often thought to be virtually untouchable instruments of destruction by casual viewers, but their impact was significantly lessened as technological advances created destroyers more than capable of taking down these underwater nuisances. It's during this shift in the war that Das Boot takes place, so while the clueless Nazi leadership holds the firm belief that their submarines are efficient hunters, the reality is the hunter has become the hunted. Much of the movie shows the struggle for survival aboard a submarine, and how absolutely helpless subs are when faced with the might of destroyers and depth charges.

Das Boot is a war movie like few others. It does not impart a scathing anti-war political protest or message, but rather allows the cold truth of war to speak for itself. It does not subject us to caricatures that can be instantly hated, but rather shows that while governments can be vile and evil entities, for the most part citizens and common soldiers of all countries are just humans struggling to do right by their nation.

Each and every actor within this film was superb – as much is said through their facial expressions as their words, which is the true mark of solid acting. Jurgen Prochnow is the most recognizable member of this German cast (since he has also worked on American films such as Beverly Hills Cop 2), but the virtual anonymity of the spectacular cast almost works to its favor. The characters seem more real, since we haven't already put names to faces as we have with Hollywood stars.

Das Boot is a gritty film that can be truly called epic, and while there are some relatively prolonged sequences in the 3.5-hour director's cut I recommend that version over the cinematic cut.

Movie review: 9 stars

If you enjoyed Das Boot you may also find the following films to be of interest:

• Top Gun
• The Day After
• A Prayer for the Dying

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