Das Boot(1981)

Personally this would go among my Top 10 WW2 movies, any time, there have been many memorable submarine movies like Ice Station Zebra, Crimson Tide, Hunt for Red October, K19, but Das Boot is the GOAT of this genre.

The movie based on a novel by Lothar-Gunther Buchheim, who himself wrote it based on his personal experiences in a U Boat, revolves around U-96 in 1941 and is narrated by Lt. Werner( Herbert Gronemeyer) a war correspondent.

The Captain played by Jurgen Prochnow, is a battle hardened veteran, does not really believe in the Nazi ideology, and is referred to as Der Alte( the Old Man) by his crew.

The chief engineer played by by Klaus Wenemman, well respected by the crew, worried about his family back home in Cologne.

Hubertus Bengsch as 1st Lieutenant/ Watch Officer, who deeply believes in the Nazi ideology, and superiority of the Wehrmacht.

Martin Semmelroge as 2nd Lieutenant/ Watch Officer, often crude and vulgar in speech, he is the one who decodes the Enigma messages.

What makes Das Boot a classic is the gritty realism here, stripping away the glamor associated with submarine warfare, being a U-Boat soldier essentially meant long hours of boredom, spending time in a cramped space. You actually feel the claustrophobic atmosphere, suffocating at times.

The hand held camera shots tracking the submarine interiors, when the crew hurries to their positions, gives you a feeling of being there. Also love the way how the director gets the various accents right, chief mechanic Johann speaks with an Austrian accent, another Petty Officer Matt in a Hamburg accent. The detailing is spot on.

This was Wolfgang Petersen's best ever movie to date, the research, detailing, the claustrophobic shots, the sheer ennui, madness taking over the crew. Somehow though his Hollywood output has been nothing great, be it Air Force One, Troy, Poseidon, The Perfect Storm, they were just good, but nowhere great.

This is a movie not to be missed at any cost, if possible go for the The Director's Cut version, 3 hrs long, which has a terrific sound and visual quality.