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Das Boot

Play trailer Poster for Das Boot R,  1981,  2h 30m,  War/ Drama Play Trailer Watchlist
Watchlist 98% 55 Reviews Tomatometer 96% 25,000+ Ratings Popcornmeter
98% Tomatometer 55 Reviews 96% Popcornmeter 25,000+ Ratings
A German submarine patrols the Atlantic Ocean during World War II, manned by a crew that must contend with tense conflicts and long stretches of confined boredom. While war correspondent Werner (Herbert Grönemeyer) observes day-to-day life aboard the U-boat, the grizzled captain (Jürgen Prochnow) struggles to maintain his own motivation as he attempts to keep the ship's morale up in the face of fierce battles, intense storms and dwindling supplies.
Das Boot

What to Know

Critics Consensus

Taut, breathtakingly thrilling, and devastatingly intelligent, Das Boot is one of the greatest war films ever made.

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Critics Reviews

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Wael Khairy RogerEbert.com Jul 30, 2023
...enough nerve-wracking suspense to make your heart pound against your chest like depth charges rupturing a submarine's hull. Go to Full Review
Dwight Brown Sepia Aug 10, 2022
Das Boot's actors look like they have lived through every sneak attack and painful claustrophobic moment in this film. Go to Full Review
Scott Cain Atlanta Journal-Constitution Nov 9, 2021
This is the finest submarine movie ever made. Although director Wolfgang Petersen emphasizes the claustrophobia of undersea life, his above-surface scenes are powerful as well. Go to Full Review
Erick Estrada Cinegarage Jun 21, 2023
The outcome, no matter how you look at it, confirms that it's futile to return to war but that it's also impossible to escape it. [Full review in Spanish] Go to Full Review
Judy Stone San Francisco Examiner Nov 11, 2021
3/4
Director Wolfgang Petersen has rigorously discarded war movie clichés, both American and those of the Nazi regime, to show the very human fears and real courage of Germans who battled for, and lost, supremacy of the seas. Go to Full Review
Tom Cassidy Common Sense Media Jun 21, 2021
5/5
Effective as an anti-war movie and as thrilling as any disaster flick, Das Boot is a humanistic masterpiece. Go to Full Review
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Audience Reviews

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Anakin W Mar 15, 2019 Probably not the best film to watch when you’re tired after a long week at work, because it needs your attention. Even so, I was impressed by the claustrophobic feel of the scenes on the boat itself, and the explosive and memorable ending. See more
Mar 9, 2019 Very good and accurate movie
Theodore G Mar 8, 2019 Really helps me to practice my German before my exams :)
Rey P Feb 5, 2019 The best "war" film ever in my opinion. It show us the human side of the soldier, from whatever country he comes and fights for. In this case are the germans, where you clearly can see the difference between the ones that serves for the duty/country and the ones that just are blind humanoids. Highly recomended the directors cut version. See more
Ron M Jan 26, 2019 I believe it has a good feel of authenticity due to all dialogues being in German and realistically portrayed what one would experience on a German submarine (as far as I could imagine). That's all the good aspects I found worth mentioning. Characters or "The Drama": Something that has been praised in the reviews before deciding to watch the movie - is pretty much non-existent. The characters lacked any introduction - except the usual hectic one in the beginning where you are bombarded with all of the characters' names . I could only name ONE member of the submarine by the end of the movie - in other words, ONE of all the characters. None of the characters has any personality except the usual team of; The emotional one, the posh one, the mentally questionable one, the missing home/relatives one and the decision-maker. The acting was both good and bad, it isn't short of intense death stares. Objective or "The Adventure": Where are they going, what's the objective or mission? Lacking the concept of where they are, which might be reflecting the sense of the crew and shifting more focus on the submarine, after all - they do have a navigator. This lack of a mission led to - unsurprisingly - that the action came to them. Later on, when they do set up destinations it's either; briefly mentioned and reached right away or it's described in detail and - of course - becomes difficult. Sound & Music: "We can hear more down here, than we can see up there." Keeping the music to a minimum for specific moments only or reflecting the crew's emotions is a good aspect. But the movie could be more reliant on or more telling with sound than words. To explain that the approaching "humming" is a ship - after establishing that a ship is approaching isn't that. Story: This is apparently based on a novel... A fictitious narrative. Rushes through it like crossing it off the checklist, thus failing to make an impactful ending. My expected ending: The ship they thought was abandoned and once again shot at, was one of the most impactful scenes - of the few. Therefore, I expected them to take their roles later on in some way. And so comes the situation where they are stuck at the bottom and manages to resurface. At this time, I expected the engines to not work, receive fire and they would be left to surrender... Would they be treated like they treated the ship before - left to die? See more
Luke R Dec 27, 2018 A totally engrossing film. Gritty.
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Das Boot

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Movie Info

Synopsis A German submarine patrols the Atlantic Ocean during World War II, manned by a crew that must contend with tense conflicts and long stretches of confined boredom. While war correspondent Werner (Herbert Grönemeyer) observes day-to-day life aboard the U-boat, the grizzled captain (Jürgen Prochnow) struggles to maintain his own motivation as he attempts to keep the ship's morale up in the face of fierce battles, intense storms and dwindling supplies.
Director
Wolfgang Petersen
Producer
Günter Rohrbach, Ortwin Freyermuth
Screenwriter
Lothar G. Buchheim, Dean Riesner
Distributor
RCA/Columbia, Columbia Pictures, Columbia TriStar Home Video
Production Co
Bavaria Film, Radiant Productions, Westdeutscher Rundfunk
Rating
R
Genre
War, Drama
Original Language
German
Release Date (Theaters)
Sep 17, 1981, Original
Release Date (Streaming)
May 1, 2012
Runtime
2h 30m
Sound Mix
Dolby, Dolby Digital, SDDS, Surround
Aspect Ratio
1.66:1
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