We're Boatin'

My recent review of U-571 prompted a co-worker to tell me that I haven't seen a truly great submarine film until I'd seen Das Boot. He's not the only one to think so; the film has a truly epic reputation. Director Wolfgang Petersen's famous film is in the top 250 movies at IMDb.com (it's 66th, in fact), is pulling 100% over at Rotten Tomatoes, and is on a fleet of critics' top lists.

To a point, I'll agree with all the praise. No film I've seen does a better job of conveying what it must truly have been like to serve about a submarine in World War II. No matter how big the living room (or theater) in which you watch this movie, I'd bet you'd feel a strong sense of claustrophobia. It's cramped, uncomfortable, and hard.

The film is also wonderfully tense throughout the first half. Even though a fair chunk of the time, objectively speaking, "nothing" is happening, there is inherent tension in the way you and the characters are waiting for something to happen. It's an excellent testament to the actors and especially the director.

But, that's "first half" I spoke of is as long as many other movies are in their entirety. Das Boot, now most commonly available in a "director's cut," runs a staggering 3 hours and 29 minutes. And in my opinion, it just can't sustain for that long.

Part of the problem is the "lack of mission." Say what you will about the slightly-distorted reality of U-571, or the completely fabricated The Hunt for Red October, but those are naval movies where there's a clear focus to the plot. The protagonists are out there to do a particular job. The crew of Das Boot, by contrast, is simply "out on patrol" for the bulk of the movie. Of course, the film is making a point that this is the day to day life of a submarine crew, but I didn't find that it made for the best narrative. Their objective is general, their adventures rather episodic, and in my view those stops and starts ultimately make the film feel every bit as long as it is.

The other problem for me is that because we're watching events on a German submarine, the movie is essentially asking us to cheer for the "bad guys." Now, it does expressly make the point that very few people on the sub are strong supporters of the Nazi party -- they're just men called into service by their country, doing what they're ordered to do. But the movie is about the boat more than the crew. (Hell, that's the title.) And the boat is doing things on behalf of the enemy. Plus, for me, "I was just following orders" only goes so far as justification. I may not be able to define exactly where the line is, but I know that hoping this crew will escape after successfully sinking an Allied ship is well on the other side of it.

So ultimately, I'll readily acknowledge that there are many excellent elements of this movie that are rightly praised, and have been stolen from liberally in the making of later films. Nevertheless, I personally would only rank it a B-. That's still good enough that I'd recommend it to many people, but falls well short of making my own top movie list.