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The Tunnel

Play trailer Poster for The Tunnel TV-14 2001 2h 40m Drama Play Trailer Watchlist
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84% Tomatometer 25 Reviews 91% Popcornmeter 2,500+ Ratings
East German swimmer Harry Melchior (Heino Ferch) escapes to West Berlin in 1961, but is forced to leave his family behind. When he recruits pals Mathis (Sebastian Koch), Vic (Mehmet Kurtulus) and Fred (Felix Eitner) to help him dig a tunnel under the wall so he can bring his sister, Lotte (Nicolette Krebitz), to freedom, he discovers that countless others are looking for ways to get relatives out of East Berlin. Suddenly, a small tunnel becomes a major engineering undertaking.
The Tunnel

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Critics Consensus

The Tunnel is both a tension-filled thriller and a riveting history lesson.

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Critics Reviews

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Tom Keogh Seattle Times Richter makes wonderful if obvious use of the wall and the tunnel as built-in metaphors for our struggle for human connection and dread of helplessness and change. Rated: 3.5/4 Sep 23, 2005 Full Review Kevin Thomas Los Angeles Times It is the kind of superbly crafted, intelligent entertainment -- a classic suspense thriller -- that nowadays is as welcome as it is rare. Rated: 4.5/5 Sep 15, 2005 Full Review Ella Taylor L.A. Weekly Richter gives a raw, frank but sophisticated account of the excruciating logistics of this great escape, and the appalling, inspiring blend of betrayal and courage that attended the group's herculean efforts. Sep 15, 2005 Full Review Urban Cinefile Critics Urban Cinefile This true story about one of the many tunnel escape attempts under the Berlin wall in the 60s provides all the excitement of an escape movie, given extra depth and resonance by its real life genesis... a superb film Aug 3, 2008 Full Review William Arnold Seattle Post-Intelligencer Well-cast and sporadically gripping. Rated: B- Sep 22, 2005 Full Review Marty Mapes Movie Habit The Tunnel proved to be too exciting for mere broadcast Rated: 3/4 Sep 1, 2005 Full Review Read all reviews

Audience Reviews

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Audience Member Good movie, emotional with good acting. Rated 4 out of 5 stars 03/12/19 Full Review Audience Member A humanist thriller. Its breathtaking to see how democracy always finds its way. The harder the regime presses you,the more sand trickles out ! Rated 3 out of 5 stars 01/17/23 Full Review Audience Member Though it contains some rare moments of stupidity in one character (for failed emotional effects), Der Tunnel is a well-made thriller that tells a story many do not know about, providing a solid history lecture about the Berlin Wall. Rated 4.5 out of 5 stars 01/20/23 Full Review Audience Member Some great acting. Meant for TV. Rated 3.5 out of 5 stars 05/05/18 Full Review Audience Member It's hard to believe what some people have been through, especially when it has been at the hands of their own government and in such recent years... What is the price for FREEDOM & how far you are ready to go--A document of history, of permanent emotions at the Berlin Wall...Powerful, Emotional, and very Intense!! Rated 3.5 out of 5 stars 02/22/23 Full Review Audience Member touching story, great acting. Rated 4 out of 5 stars 02/12/23 Full Review Read all reviews
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Movie Info

Synopsis East German swimmer Harry Melchior (Heino Ferch) escapes to West Berlin in 1961, but is forced to leave his family behind. When he recruits pals Mathis (Sebastian Koch), Vic (Mehmet Kurtulus) and Fred (Felix Eitner) to help him dig a tunnel under the wall so he can bring his sister, Lotte (Nicolette Krebitz), to freedom, he discovers that countless others are looking for ways to get relatives out of East Berlin. Suddenly, a small tunnel becomes a major engineering undertaking.
Director
Roland Suso Richter
Producer
Nico Hofmann, Ariane Krampe
Screenwriter
Johannes W. Betz
Production Co
Sat.1, teamWorx Television & Film
Rating
TV-14
Genre
Drama
Original Language
German
Box Office (Gross USA)
$10.9K
Runtime
2h 40m