Das Boot

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Das Boot

R

Released Sep 17, 1981

2h 30m

War

Drama

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Popcornmeter

98%

Tomatometer

55 Reviews

95%

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25,000+ Ratings

A German submarine patrols the Atlantic Ocean during World War II, manned by a crew that must contend with tense conflicts and long stretches of confined boredom. While war correspondent Werner (Herbert Grönemeyer) observes day-to-day life aboard the U-boat, the grizzled captain (Jürgen Prochnow) struggles to maintain his own motivation as he attempts to keep the ship's morale up in the face of fierce battles, intense storms and dwindling supplies.

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Critics Consensus

Taut, breathtakingly thrilling, and devastatingly intelligent, Das Boot is one of the greatest war films ever made.

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Wael Khairy

RogerEbert.com

...enough nerve-wracking suspense to make your heart pound against your chest like depth charges rupturing a submarine's hull.

Jul 30, 2023

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Dwight Brown

Sepia

Das Boot's actors look like they have lived through every sneak attack and painful claustrophobic moment in this film.

Aug 10, 2022

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Scott Cain

Atlanta Journal-Constitution

This is the finest submarine movie ever made. Although director Wolfgang Petersen emphasizes the claustrophobia of undersea life, his above-surface scenes are powerful as well.

Nov 9, 2021

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Erick Estrada

Cinegarage

The outcome, no matter how you look at it, confirms that it's futile to return to war but that it's also impossible to escape it. [Full review in Spanish]

Jun 21, 2023

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Judy Stone

San Francisco Examiner

Director Wolfgang Petersen has rigorously discarded war movie clichés, both American and those of the Nazi regime, to show the very human fears and real courage of Germans who battled for, and lost, supremacy of the seas.

Rated: 3/4

Nov 11, 2021

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Tom Cassidy

Common Sense Media

Effective as an anti-war movie and as thrilling as any disaster flick, Das Boot is a humanistic masterpiece.

Rated: 5/5

Jun 21, 2021

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CodyZamboni Z

Solid WW2 German sub adventure, With, you are there, intense realism, Strong characters, Shocking and sobering, Movie really hammers home the futility of war message.

Rated 3.5 out of 5 stars

02/12/25

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Jense K

10/10 absolutely brilliant.

Rated 5 out of 5 stars

01/08/25

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Audience Member

Possibly the best war movie ever made. Simply breathtaking.

Rated 4.5 out of 5 stars

01/14/25

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Zippy E

Quite simply one of the greatest movies ever made.

Rated 5 out of 5 stars

12/10/24

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Magnus A

Fantastic movie! Very well made considering that it's from the 80's. Love it!!

Rated 5 out of 5 stars

10/19/24

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Audience Member

DAS BOOT is top notch in ✨every✨ sense (especially for its early 80s production period). Some scenes are mesmerizing suspence and others are almost "jump outta your seat" intensity. Probably the most intense part about DAS BOOT is that the story's basis and its different scenes are based in something that actually did occur. GREAT flick...!!!

Rated 5 out of 5 stars

07/04/24

Full Review

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Synopsis

A German submarine patrols the Atlantic Ocean during World War II, manned by a crew that must contend with tense conflicts and long stretches of confined boredom. While war correspondent Werner (Herbert Grönemeyer) observes day-to-day life aboard the U-boat, the grizzled captain (Jürgen Prochnow) struggles to maintain his own motivation as he attempts to keep the ship's morale up in the face of fierce battles, intense storms and dwindling supplies.

Director: Wolfgang Petersen
Producer: Günter Rohrbach, Ortwin Freyermuth
Screenwriter: Lothar G. Buchheim, Wolfgang Petersen, Dean Riesner
Distributor: RCA/Columbia, Columbia Pictures, Columbia TriStar Home Video
Production Co: Bavaria Film, Westdeutscher Rundfunk, Radiant Productions
Rating: R
Genre: War, Drama
Original Language: German
Release Date (Theaters): Sep 17, 1981, Original
Release Date (Streaming): May 1, 2012
Runtime: 2h 30m
Sound Mix: Dolby, Dolby Digital, SDDS, Surround
Aspect Ratio: 1.66:1

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