DAS BOOT

SYNOPSIS:
After a debauched last night ashore, one of the famed German U boats, U-96, is sent off on a patrol into the Atlantic during World War II, with its crew of young seamen, and the more experienced, slightly world weary Captain (Jürgen Prochnow). On board is a green young war correspondent Werner (Herbert Grönmeyer) to report first hand on the heroic team of submariners, feared by the British navy as much as by the merchant ships crossing the Atlantic. But the patrol, which crosses a convoy of enemy ships, turns into something more harrowing than heroic than anyone anticipated, with the battles against nature and machine as traumatic as the battles against the enemy above.

“Petersen went on to direct In the Line of Fire, Outbreak and Air Force One – all very good, but Das Boot was his best ever. He argues that this new director’s cut, with the enhanced technology bringing the sound up to the max, is his ‘ideal version’ – and it’s hard to argue that it is indeed a sensational piece of work, even on the small screen, and even in the undisciplined environment of your home. This is a staggeringly good film, gripping and entertaining, tragic yet uplifting in its depiction of the human spirit. As an anti-war sentiment, it screams its message without having to spell it out; as a war adventure, it finds the perfect balance between the adrenalin and the fatigue of battle. Although in German (with readily legible and economical subtitles), the film works well on video, especially if you try to limit interruptions to the minimum; the unbroken tension adds greatly to the effect. Top performances, and the well developed characters – especially in this longer cut – together with fantastic detail, brings us into the very belly of U-96, almost smelling the mouldy air, feeling the sickening lurches of the depth charges and yearning for fresh air. Brilliant, moving filmmaking like this deserves a place on your shelf.”
Andrew L. Urban