Downfall (2004)
It's the last days of Adolf Hitler, April 1945, and Hitler's personal secretary Traudl Junge finds herself in the Der Fuhrer's bunker. Facing inevitable defeat, Hilter's moods range from defiance to fight or flee, remain loyal or opt for self-preservation. Eva Braun parties while Magda Goebbels kills her children. The movie goes on to show how Hitler and Eva lived their last hours in the Bunker. (imdb)
Cast and Information
Directed By: Oliver Hirschbiegel
Written By: Bernd Eichinger, Traudl Junge, Joachim Fest, Melissa Müller
Starring: Thomas Kretschmann, Bruno Ganz, Alexandra Maria Lara, Ulrich Noethen, Corinna Harfouch, André Hennicke, Birgit Minichmayr, Christian Berkel, Julia Jentsch, Ulrich Matthes, Juliane Köhler, Michael Mendl
Genres: Drama, War, History, Biography
AKA: Der Untergang
Country: Austria, Germany, Italy
Where to Stream
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Downfall belongs to 89 collections
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Browse the full list of collections
| Stars | User | Rating | |
| 14 |  |
luc | 95 98th |
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Super German movie about the last days of Hitler.
Interesting scenes in the bunker and the madness
what happen there the last hours. Super performance
of B.Ganz. A movie that I'll never
forget.
A really amazing and sad movie.
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| 7 |  |
Ytadel | 8 93rd |
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You don't like this movie? Well, you know who else doesn't like this movie? That's right: Hitler.
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| 5 |  |
Pickpocket | 9 93rd |
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It's almost like the unseen documentary of what happened in the bunker. Really fascinating stuff. I really liked Alexandra Maria Lara and Bruno Ganz, very good performances. Ulrich Matthes, who plays Goebbels, should be in every horror movie ever made. That guy looked scary as hell and his acting was excellent too. Should be shown in schools regularly.
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| 4 |  |
mdruskin | 86 93rd |
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One of the best historic movies I have seen. Describing the last few days of Hitler, the German movie goes into detail about the man and everyone around him, as their empire crumbles above the bunker they spend their last days in. Finally a movie showing Hitler as a person - a very bad person, crazy, evil, but one who has thoughts, feelings and desires. The movie also features amazing acting from everyone involved, very good visuals and a few bombing scenes. My only gripe with the movie, is that
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| 4 |  |
TedDedon | 85 73rd |
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Good profile of what many consider to be the most vile human to ever live. It's an interesting movie with great cinematography and acting. Easily recommendable to fans of World War II or history in general.
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| 4 |  |
CMonster | 88 87th |
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Wait, I thought a bunch of American's and a vengeful Jewish woman killed Hitler by burning down a movie theater. WTF is this bullshit?
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| 3 |  |
Magb | 85 73rd |
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The ultimate movie about the end of the Third Reich. I thought it went on perhaps for a bit too long after (ATTN: SPOILER) Hitler died, but other than that it had excellent focus. Bruno Ganz does a brilliant job.
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| 3 |  |
Farzan | 95 96th |
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One of the greatest War films ever made. Bruno Ganz is flawless as Hitler (I don't know if thats necassarily a good thing,) This film should be watched in schools, for once you see the German side, you see both on the battlefield, and the politics that takes place indoors. It is historically accurate, and keeps you entertained throughout all of it. From the beginning where Hitler is percieved as an ordinary man, to the end where Hitler is reminiscent of a monster, Downfall fails to disappoint
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| 3 |  |
Gilly | 90 84th |
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I can only agree to @farzan's review. This movie should be watched in Schools. It perfectly shows, that Hitler totally lost his mind and therfore the control about everything else.
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| 2 |  |
MartinTeller | 86 87th |
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Overall I liked the movie, but I did it start to feel rather repetitive, especially for the first 100 minutes or so. Scene of Berlin getting fucked, someone betrays or abandons Hitler, Hitler flips the fuck out, loyal sidekicks reaffirm their allegiance. Repeat. Otherwise an excellent production with a particularly strong performance by Ganz.
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| 2 |  |
Nathan S | 4 74th |
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I know not of the accuracy in these psychological portraits, only that it is an intense portrayal, and often disturbing to view such unrepentant wickedness even as it stares down the barrel of its own demise. The inexplicably controversial decision to humanize this evil is in the service of demythology: this is, after all, actual history carried out by actual humans.
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| 2 | Skenkere | 79 83rd |
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Feels so thoroughly accurate that if someone told you it was all real historical footage, you'd be inclined to believe them.
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| 2 |  |
Anomaly | 89 93rd |
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Very tense and emotional portrayal of the last days of Hilter's life in the claustrophobic fuhrerbunker. Ganz is incredible. Interestingly, despite focusing on Hitler, this film draws a lot of attention to how psychotic the Goebbels were. An overall excellent film.
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| 2 |  |
brando814 | 100 98th |
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Remains one of the few films to take a moment in time and bottle it up, like alot of great war movies it leaves you shell shocked but unlike so many others you feel for the enemy if only because they too are people who watch powerless as the things they believe fall apart right in front of them.
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| 2 |  |
recklessmess | 82 79th |
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The most powerful aspect of this film is that it portrays those responsible for one of the worst genocides in the history of mankind as human beings, and attempts to put human faces on monsters. You *almost* feel sympathetic for Hitler when he shows compassion to his secretaries and the young children (of Goebbels). You're slapped back into reality when Hitler dictates his political testament, however.
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| 2 |  |
omgfridge | 9 92nd |
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Should be shown in schools. Bruno Ganz is staggeringly good as Hitler.
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| 2 |  |
overrated | 90 97th |
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This is why you shouldn't do meth, next thing you know you've got the Holocaust on your shaky hands..
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| 1 |  |
eveelun | 77 66th |
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A very well-crafted and interesting film. Ganz delivers an amazing performance. I don't know, for some reason it left me kind of cold - I didn't find it boring or full of flaws (though I do admit I had some difficulty keeping track of some of the supporting characters), but it never struck a deep chord with me.
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| 1 |  |
jimmynmu | 90 91st |
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An acurate and emotional retelling of the last days of Hitler.
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| 1 |  |
Moribunny | 43 30th |
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The Nazi leadership's last days in the bunker are the stuff of legends, and to the best of my knowledge, the script (based in part on Traudl Junge's protocols) is fairly accurate historically. It is far from naturalistic, though, and I didn't feel that the format of a neat, glossy theatrical ensemble drama did justice to the subject matter. The film too lightly flutters by events that should be weighty and troubling, dramatizing them thoughtlessly, devoid of any insight.
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| 1 |  |
wayofthegun | 100 97th |
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If only Americans weren't so averse to subtitles, Downfall would be known much more for the work of art it is rather than the subsequent memes created from it. Expertly crafted and featuring an all-time great performance from Bruno Ganz as Hitler, it's almost required viewing for any cinephile.
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| 1 | kamran | 65 47th |
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An effective recreation, but nothing more than that. It was informative and solid, but a chore to sit through.
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| 1 | Pingy | 90 73rd |
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A brave film, to say the least.
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| 1 | drnorton | 95 95th |
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Incredible first-hand account of Hitler's last days in the bunker. Bruno Ganz is terrifying and brilliant all at once.
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| 1 |  |
rob | 17 94th |
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As tense and claustrophobic as I should imagine life was in the fuehrerbunker in the final days of WWII. Ganz is utterly superb as the increasingly unstable Hitler and the supporting cast capture perfectly the mixed emotions of the time--the confusion over whether to retain Hitler as their spiritual leader, the jockeying for position in the succession list, and the eventual descent into a frantic, selfish desire simply to survive.
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| 1 |  |
nilkynarfy | 95 96th |
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A hoot! This film will have you sieg heiling all the way to the parking lot! - Gene Shalit
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| 1 |  |
saucyjack | 90 89th |
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Probably the most even-handed account of Hitler committed to film. Even though it is somewhat sympathetic, it still shows a man undone by his lust for power and "racial purity".
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| 1 | WoozyB | 95 94th |
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It was a great portrayal of those final days, and left me exhausted when it was done. I don't know what else they could have done to make the story any better.
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| 1 |  |
Shmendrek | 5 96th |
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Wonderful casting. I couldn't believe what a good job they did in finding actors that looked exactly like Hitler and his inner circle. Highly recommended.
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| 1 |  |
Boobjuice | 85 87th |
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Excellent acting... some of the actors looked uncannily like the historical figures they were portraying. This film seems somewhat overlooked, so if you get the opportunity to watch it you definitely should. A great depiction of an important and fascinating piece of history.
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| 1 |  |
Heer | 85 83rd |
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Too long and the blonde kid is annoying. Other than that it's fantastic and Bruno Ganz is amazing.
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| 1 | Manhatta | 92 82nd |
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THE portrayal of Adolf Hitler. I was utterly convinced throughout this gripping, powerful film.
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| 1 |  |
Luna6ix | 85 89th |
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it is fascinating to watch an entire country fall apart systematically and all the implications that come with. most of the characters in this movie are pretty despicable people, and it's hard to relate to anyone who's drugging and poisoning their children. the end is the best part of this movie and any combat part is well done, and the dramatic parts are entertaining as well.
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| 1 |  |
ronthedog | 77 25th |
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Decent study of the last days of the Third Reich, seen from Hitler's bunker. Flaunts convention somewhat by taking defeat as a given and focussing on the actions of the characters while faced with the inevitability of escape, suicide or surrender.
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| 1 |  |
TheRealJ-Ro | 95 97th |
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I can imagine that one of the biggest challenges that could ever face an actor would be to attempt to objectively portray one of History's most hated men, who was at the same time a brilliant tactician, military mind, and politician. Bruno Ganz does so in spectacular fashion. A beautifully-crafted epic which depicts Hitler's final days, that belongs in classrooms. Equally impressive to the performance of Ganz as Hitler were those of the Goebbels family; as he is still an under-examined figure.
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| 1 |  |
EgbertSouse | 90 75th |
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Feels like a horror movie with Nazis. Effective in both showing these murderers as people, not just monsters (even if they were both).
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| 1 |  |
ABUNCHOFCATS | 94 94th |
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Phenomenal movie about Hitler's last days.
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| 1 |  |
Okkervil | 85 90th |
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Watching 'Downfall' almost feels forbidden! As if you are being allowed access to watch secret tape that has been hidden away for 60 years. It's a compelling emotion to have during this movie. Add on top of that some awesome performances and the general fascination in seeing Hitler's final moments and this is an at times chilling, but essential watch.
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| 1 | CarsonWid | 85 94th |
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This is an extraordinary film that manages to show the German side of the war, with a glimpse of humanity in it, without shielding us from the horrors that the Nazis committed. It somehow captured the humanity of monsters.
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| 1 |  |
roofs_runner | 92 89th |
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German side of the tragedy. Hitler might be blamed for what he did but let's face he was not the only one responsible for that. The whole Europe, as well as the Soviet Union, are responsible for unleashing the evil.
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| 1 |  |
Authorman | 95 87th |
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Join Hitler in the Bunker in this lighthearted romp. Fun for the whole family, if you are trying to convince them to join your suicide pact.
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| 1 |  |
Rufam | 55 21st |
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From a purely historical aspect, "Der Untergang" is fascinating, but as a piece of storytelling, it's merely dull. Despite Hirschbiegel's remarkable craftsmanship, Ganz's electrifying performance and the realistic depiction of Hitler, at 156 minutes, the film more than outstays its welcome and it often becomes downright tedious. Although admirably well-made, its approach is strictly encyclopedic and passionless, while the script's repetition and long-windedness only extended my dissatisfaction.
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| 1 |  |
DavidJohnson | 88 88th |
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The first 40 minutes or so are kind of confusing, as I do not know a whole lot about WWII, but after they established they were all fucked, and Hitler was going crazy, it got better. I didn't there were so many suicides by German officials. I guess their style, kill everyone, including themselves. I haven't seen any of the actors / actresses in any other films, which was great, because they all seemed to fit perfectly.
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| 1 |  |
SlantMag | 30 78th |
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"An exhausting soap opera of doom that cuts back and forth between what seems like 100 speaking parts and conveys a chilling vision of rats being slowly flushed down a toilet." - Ed Gonzalez
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| 1 |  |
Paxton | 82 90th |
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Spoiler alert: WWII
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| 1 |  |
lisa- | 2 11th |
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a bafflingly well-regarded melodrama. admittedly i didn't watch the whole thing, but i couldn't be bothered sitting through much more overdramatised silliness. disappointing after the meme.
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| Average Percentile 71.59% from 5573 Ratings |  |