Der Untergang (The Downfall)

I'm going to start by giving you some film stats, about the plot, then go into my review. *WARNING - THIS MAY CONTAIN SPOILERS*

Rating: R for "strong violence, disturbing images and some nudity"
Staring: Bruno Ganz and Alexandra Maria Lara.
Released: 16th of September, 2004.
Genre: Biography, Drama, History, War.

Plot:
Adolf (Bruno Ganz) Hitlers last days in his bunker in Berlin. It is told from the view of his secretary Traudl (Alexandra Maria Lara) Junge. I will say only a few things as I assume, and hope, every one already knows the story of Hitler and at least a bit about his final days. This movie is based on two books, the first (Der Untergang) written by German historian and son of a German man who opposed the Nazi regime named Joachim Fest, and the second (Bis zur letzten Stunde) written by Melissa Müller and Traudl Junge about Traudl Junge's life, including her time with Hitler.

My Review:
This is, in my opinion, THE best WWII film about the German side. It depicts him in a way I think shows why so many loved him and were devoted to him. It is a true story and I believe that every one should understand what the Nazis were doing and what World War II was. It deeply saddens me how ignorant so so many are about history! If we do not know the treacherous past, how can we stop it from repeating? There is some nudity, and also quite a bit of violence. But, it was a violent awful war. I'm not saying you should be able to watch this and not be bothered by the violence, I'm saying you should watch this and yes be bothered and be aware and be sure that this doesn't happen again. This movie is wonderful acted, and beautifully made. And it is all spoken in German, but is subtitled in english.

to sum it up, it is the best.

Rescue Dawn

I'm going to start by giving you some film stats, about the plot, then go into my review. *WARNING - THIS MAY CONTAIN SPOILERS*

Rating; PG-13 for, "some sequences of intense war violence and torture."
Staring; Christian Bale and Steve Zahn.
Released; 25Th of December, 1993.
Genre; Action, Adventure, Biography, Drama, War

Plot;
Laos, Vietnam, A pilots first mission. Lt. Dieter (Bale) Dengler, was flying over Laos when his plane was shot down. After a while of running he was found drinking from a stream. He was tortured and taken to a camp where he was held along with 5 other prisoners, 2 of them American. He quickly devised a plot to escape. After plotting and planning they were ready, they broke free on July 3rd. They met up after the break, by that time there was only 4 of them. They split up Duane (Steve Zahn) went with Dengler, it is unknown what happened to the other two who split from them. Duane and Dengler traveled for days trying to get to safety. They traveled through harsh Teriann, awful weather, and suffered numerous injuries. After so long they came upon a village where, to put it in a way, Dengler escaped by inches and he was now alone. At last some one had found him, some one who would take him home. He was picked up by helicopters and taken to a hospital to recover. Also he was confined until he could be debriefed, because his mission was top-secret. Some friends from his out-fit heard of his rescue, and came to visit. They were anxious to get him back to the ship to have a proper welcome, so they snuck him out of the hospital, and brought him home.

My Review;
It was good. I had only heard about this movie from others reviews until recently when I bought it. I must say, it was worth buying without first watching. The story was so inspiring and it was, in fact, a true story. Dieter Dengler never gave up, he never quit trying to get home. Though he never got some secret information that ended the war of anything, he was a true hero, he was the story of a great American. He was a story of endurance, of faith, of strength. This movie was great. I think it really shows just how much our soldiers go through to keep us safe at home.

To sum it up, I liked it, it is a great historical film. I recommend it.