Rating: 
Summary: A gripping journey of men in war.
Review: Das Boot is a gripping and stunningly authentic journey of the crew of a German U-boat (U-96) in the second world war. The film captures the day to day hardships of the sailors on U-96, mainly through the eyes of a war correspondent, Lt.Werner. Every aspect of life at sea is depicted: the cramped accommodations, the breakdown of hygiene, and the overall squalor that ensues as forty men live in such a small space for weeks on end. From the beginning Werner becomes steadily more aware that the practice of the U-boat war is quite different from the principle, and that its reality is in contrast to the propaganda. Although largely apolitical, the film does show the subtle contempt that some of men have for the war effort, and presumably the regime that it supports. In the beginning, we see the ship's company partying the night away at a night club in La Rochelle in Nazi occupied France. The younger crewmen drink and carouse seemingly without worry, while the captain (Jergen Prochnow) looks on with grim disbelief at their youth and naiveté. It is here that we see that there is a rift between the veteran sailors and the newcomers. Later in the film, the captain fiercely berates his young (and fanatical) first officer for being too disrespectful of threat posed by their British adversaries. The monotony of the patrol is broken up when word comes that the boat is to intercept a nearby convoy. After a night surface attack, U-96 is depth charged and hounded by the convoy's escort vessels. There are masterful scenes which show the desperate struggle the men undergo to hold the boat together while trying to elude the Destroyers above. The groaning of the hull, the pounding of the depth charges, the frantic cries and orders along with the ghostly pinging of the enemy's sonar create searing suspense, and an overwhelming sense of claustrophobia. A duplicity in the sailors develops as they remain isolated from both their homeland and the source of their ideology. The men cheer wildly when they hear the sound of one of their torpedoes find its mark, but weep when see British sailors burning and drowning in the sea. When U-96 makes a clandestine re-supply rendezvous with an interned German liner on the Spanish coast, the officers are revered. However, the lavish buffet prepared by the Liner's genteel Captain for the "undersea heroes", only alienates the weary U-boat men. It is as if such hospitality is become total vulgarity. This point is emphasised as the liner's officers sieg heil in unison (all in smartly pressed uniforms), while U-96's officers stand ragged and disoriented. The climax of the film comes after the boat is dispatched to the mediteranean via Gibralter. U-96 attempts to sneek past the British held port, but is hotly recieved. Following a brief and harrowing chase, U-96 finds itself resting on the bottom, severely damaged. The prognosis for the stricken vessel is poor, as the engineer and crew attempt to repair her. Possibly the most authentic scenes in the movie are of the measures taken by the men to restore their boat, and resurface. It is at this point, when it becomes apparent that they will most probably not see home again, that we see final closure to the bonding that has been happening between officers and men. Hours tick by as the captain and most of the crew begin to pray that the engineer can "pull it off". The realization that they are likely doomed causes each character to have his own reckoning with the reality of war. The end of the film is grim and ironic, but well in keeping with the theme of the movie, which is the tragic waste of war. Das boot is a movie much in the spirit of "All Quiet on the Western Front". I recommend it for those who like their movies with unflinching honesty and realism, and where the Calvary does not ride over the hill at the end to save the day.
Rating: 
Summary: Unparallelled
Review: There is simply no comparison in artistry and brilliance of both the story behind Das Boot and its portrayal. It baffles me that so few people have seen this movie. The Director's Cut, particularly is worthy of the running time, which is admittedly long. But the story never loses you, and you really believe that you're witnessing the genuine chronicle of what happened. Das Boot has the same type of ambience and pseudo-optimisim-in-the-face-of-tragedy-and-fear feeling that Private Ryan had, but the similarities stop there. Everyone who enjoys truly talented movie-making and unbelievably fantastic, unpredictable stories (and trust me, it takes a turn you never saw coming!) should own this movie. It's that simple. END
Rating:
Summary: A great movie - the DVD I have watched most.
Review: I liked the original version of Das Boot and the director's cut is even better. The commentary track is as good as they get - informative and funny. An A-list DVD along with Contact. Despite their shared genre, Das Boot and Pvt. Ryan are quite different films. I liked both. Das Boot is far less graphic, and probably for that reason I would watch it more often.Also, I disagree with an earlier negative comment on the audio. The audio was completely remixed in a labor of love for this version and I think it's fine. END
Rating:
Summary: Don't think of comparing this great film to Spielberg.
Review: This film is a masterpiece of ambiance and storytelling and character. Spielberg only got the first of those three elements down in Private Ryan. The fact that a great film like Das Boot is less well known that Saving Private Ryan is a sad comment. END
Rating:
Summary: Better account of WWII than anything America has produced!
Review: One reviewer stated that this film was the German version of "Saving Private Ryan." Don't let the reverence for Spielberg get in your way of judging this film as something as equal. Spielberg could only dream of making a film this good. The art of creating a truly oppressive environment and sustaining the sheer tension is nothing that American directors have been able to successfully do, except maybe Hitchcock (and he was English). I highly recommend this film, not only because it is a finely crafted piece of art (on all levels, i.e. editing, writing, cinematography), but because it is entertaining. END
Rating:
Summary: excellent, raw German cinema
Review: "Das Boot" is to the German side of WWII what "Saving Private Ryan" is to the American side today: a gritty, realistic, excruciating look at life in wartime, in this case in a submarine (U-Boot). Jürgen Prochnow plays the captain who, along with his crew, is simply trying to survive the tour of duty and attacks from Allied forces in the terrifying deep. The original release of the film left the German soundtrack and included subtitles; this preserved the authenticity of the story and experience. Unfortunately, it has been very hard to find a videotape in the US which was not dubbed in English. Now the DVD allows you your choice of sountrack, and even includes a commentary track by the director (in English) and a "behind the scenes" feature. Don't expect an uplifting experience from this movie, but you can rely on the Germans to tell it like it is -- watch it for the fresh perspective and the honesty as well as the suspense. END
Rating:
Summary: One hell of an underseas adventure
Review: If you can understand German, or you can pick up words from our language, Das Boot is for you. What a story--this was a West German Mini Series. Fantastic undersea adventure. may be too intense for those under 13. Uncle Lar P.S. I persnonally know a person from the German Navy who was stationed on "Das Boot" END
Rating:
Summary: Not seen by enough people
Review: People have heard of this movie, but most have not seen it. Buy it, its well worth it....I don't see why petersons others (American, granted) films were not nearly as good. The soundtrack and some of the audio really sucks though...the drama and in ship scenes make up for it! END
Rating:
Summary: Best War Movie Ever!!!
Review: This is most definetly the best war movie I have ever seen. I have never seen anyone that has not taken interest in war after watching this movie. I have seen this movie many times and each time I learn something new. It is interesting to see how the other side was during WWII. I recommend this movie for anyone that has time to watch it.
Rating:
Summary: High pressured, silent and deadly.
Review: Any movie that is subtitled has to overcome a lot to get me totally involved in its plot. In the case of Germany's celebrated Submarine classic "Das Boot", I don't remember there being subtitles past the first five minutes. What originally drew me to the film was Jürgen Prochnow. He's such a great actor and he really impressed me in "Dune" and "The Seventh Sign". As usual, his portrayal of the German Navy Captain is understated and yet impressively powerful.
If you know your modern history, you'll be familiar with the German Submarine Command's service history, during the Second World War. In the early years these subs caused havoc in the Atlantic Ocean and beyond, virtually bringing merchant shipping to a standstill. Over time however, the Allies' newly commissioned sub-hunter ships challenged the German's stealthy supremacy. Disappointingly, those great "sub verses sub" duels rarely happened during WWII.
Das Boot's story takes place during the final years of the war. German subs were hounded everywhere they went, resulting in a survival rate that even drew sympathy from the Luftwaffe. Despite these desperate straits, the German high command continued to find missions for the remaining sub crews. Naturally, the men making up these crews were a special breed and as such, drew a lot of attention from the civilian presses.
In this case a newspaper correspondent called Lieutenant Werner, has joined the boat for the duration of its mission. Events unfold from his point of view and so we can lose our misconceptions and innocence along with Werner. He has no responsibilities on board and is therefore under less stress that most, but at the same time he has nothing to distract him from the pressure of each enemy attack and the many fathoms of sea water over the sub.
Holding it all together, under terrifying conditions, is a single man. The captain is a scruffy, mildly cynical, bastion of strength. He deals calmly with almost any situation, drawing on a seemingly unlimited store of courage. He also uses this courage in the face his 1st Lieutenant, a goose-stepping Nazi loyalist, who disapproves of his captain's lack of respect for Hitler, the high command and much else about Germany's military efforts.
The film takes an even darker turn when, during the middle of their tour, the captain receives orders to commence a new mission; a mission which amounts to suicide. They are asked to enter the Mediterranean Sea via the Gibraltar Strait and make an attack on enemy shipping. The strait is very narrow and heavily monitored but the captain accepts his orders, devising a strategy that gives them at least some hope.
Not surprisingly, things go bad from the start. I'm not going into a blow by blow description. Suffice to say that every moment is chock full of dramatic tension and the relationships within the crew become more obvious with every crisis. In the end, the audience feels almost as exhausted as these brave men, which makes the final scenes even more powerful.
One warning for those that want to see this absorbing movie. Do not watch the dubbed version. In some versions, the voice acting is a joke and distracts form the story. Instead, stick to the subtitles. Trust me, you're not going to notice them.
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