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Das Boot (The Boat) Play Trailer

Das Boot (The Boat) (1981)

tomatometer

90

Average Rating: 8.4/10
Critic Reviews: 10
Fresh: 9 | Rotten: 1

No consensus yet.

audience

93

liked it
Average Rating: 4.1/5
User Ratings: 45,053

My Rating

Movie Info

Das Boot is one of the most gripping and authentic war movies ever made. Based on an autobiographical novel by German World War II photographer Lothar-Guenther Buchheim, the film follows the lives of a fearless U-Boat captain (Jurgen Prochnow) and his inexperienced crew as they patrol the Atlantic and Mediterranean in search of Allied vessels, taking turns as hunter and prey. There's very little plot, so the movie's power comes from both its riveting, epic battle scenes and its details of the

R,

Drama

Dec 10, 1997

Columbia Pictures

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Das Boot (The Boat) Trailer & Photos

Critic Reviews for Das Boot (The Boat)

All Critics (46) | Top Critics (10) | Fresh (45) | Rotten (1) | DVD (30)

Everything described in the film is authentic.

February 23, 2012 Full Review Source: Variety
Variety Staff
Variety
Top Critic IconTop Critic

The film has no qualities beyond its formal polish.

December 9, 2011 Full Review Source: Chicago Reader | Comments (24)
Dave Kehr
Chicago Reader
Top Critic IconTop Critic

Agripping, impressively detailed account of one harrowing voyage by a German U-boat during World War II.

March 19, 2009 Full Review Source: Variety
Todd McCarthy
Variety
Top Critic IconTop Critic

Petersen's shooting style displays a breathtaking, if impersonal and faintly academic, virtuosity comparable to that of Lean or Coppola.

June 24, 2006 Full Review Source: Time Out
Geoff Andrew
Time Out
Top Critic IconTop Critic

Das Boot is yet another moving testament to the wastefulness of battle.

August 30, 2004 Full Review Source: New York Times
Janet Maslin
New York Times
Top Critic IconTop Critic

The film reaches right out to grab us by the neck and squeeze hard.

February 2, 2002
Jeff Millar
Houston Chronicle
Top Critic IconTop Critic

Still makes compulsive viewing.

May 14, 2012 Full Review Source: Film4
Film4

Gripping and authentic.

December 9, 2011 Full Review Source: TV Guide's Movie Guide
TV Guide's Movie Guide

The execution is second to none; taut, claustrophobic and overwhelming.

September 21, 2011 Full Review Source: Empire Magazine
Nick De Semlyen
Empire Magazine

Few war films are more potent than Das Boot...the ultimate submarine movie. [Blu-ray]

July 25, 2011 Full Review Source: Groucho Reviews
Peter Canavese
Groucho Reviews

It is unlike any other war film in that it confines the audience in a confined submarine where we digest the fear and panic of the human beings on screen. In short, "Das Boot" is a religious experience.

April 24, 2009 Full Review Source: ColeSmithey.com
Cole Smithey
ColeSmithey.com

Just as good, some say better, than the original classic.

February 19, 2008
Steve Crum
Video-Reviewmaster.com

THE submarine movie. No other sub-flick even comes close.

November 9, 2005 Full Review Source: DVDTalk.com
Scott Weinberg
DVDTalk.com

Consistently riveting and intensely claustrophobic, the Oscar-nominated Das Boot is one of the most thrilling submarine pictures ever made in any language, and still is Wolfgang Petersen's best film by far.

August 12, 2005 Full Review Source: EmanuelLevy.Com | Comment (1)
Emanuel Levy
EmanuelLevy.Com

One of the best war films ever.

April 22, 2005
Michael A. Smith
Nolan's Pop Culture Review Source: Nolan's Pop Culture Review
View all critic reviews (46)

Audience Reviews for Das Boot (The Boat)

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Speaking as a submarine veteran of both the Atlantic and Pacific fleets, this is by far the grittiest, most realistic sub movie I've ever seen. Technically and emotionally stunning.
December 28, 2008
flixsterman
Randy Tippy

Super Reviewer

An extraordinary well-made, politically savvy submarine movie concerning a group of German soldiers during WW2 who have doubts concerning the direction of the Nazi regime, but have no say in the matter when they are ordered to go out sea and search for enemy vessels. One has to give director Wolfgang Peterson a ton of credit for being so bold in attempting to get the audience on the side of a group of Nazis, a task which he does successfully through the use of subtly showing their doubts and uncertainty that they are fighting for the right cause. The twists and plotting that are on display here are something you could not script any better, as Peterson's shrewd camera work coupled with his ability to gauge when to hold his audience in suspense or deliver the excitement in bundles proves to be captivating. The final, devastating twist single-handedly pushes this movie into "elite" status, as it is one that is so emotionally ravaging and unexpected that it will leave you stunned upon conclusion. Without question one of the best foreign films constructed, and one that demands repeat viewings over one's lifespan.
November 2, 2007
Dan Schultz
Dan Schultz

Super Reviewer

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Foreign Titles

  • Das Boot (DE)
  • Das Boot (UK)
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