Das Boot is a 1981 West German war film written and directed by Wolfgang Petersen and stars Jürgen Prochnow, Herbert Grönemeyer, and Klaus Wennemann. Set in WWII, the story follows a German submarine U-96 and its crew, as they set out on a hazardous patrol during the Battle of the Atlantic.

This weeks Film Club pick, brought to us by the ever brilliant Michael, was Das Boot. A German war “masterpiece” I was yet to see. However, sadly the theatrical cut didn’t quite live up to my expectations. 

Don’t get me wrong, Das Boot is a brilliant film. The performances from Jürgen Prochnow, Herbert Grönemeyer, and Klaus Wennemann were fantastic to watch as you’re conflicted between rooting for their characters and hating them because of the hierarchy they fight for and sadly, that’s what ultimately kept me from arms length of the characters throughout. Yet, I can see why people rave about this film. The constant sense of doom and tension that envelops this movie is daunting as both the acting and the direction the film takes towards its end truly captures it in such a brilliant way. 

However, as I said earlier, I never managed to connect with any of the characters. Sure, I was weirdly relieved when everything went according to plan (which I never thought I’d say about Nazis) but I never personally felt compelled by any of them until the final scene. Similarly, with the theatrical cut coming in at 150 minutes it did seem to drag at certain points before it’s fantastic conclusion.   

Sadly the theatrical cut didn’t quite live up to my expectations, but it more than classified itself as a great movie. Despite the first act leaving me rather uninterested, it only builds from there and leaves one of the greatest shock conclusions I’ve seen to date. It’s a great film that sadly I ended up respecting more than I enjoyed.