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The Boat

DramaWar

A German U-boat stalks the frigid waters of the North Atlantic as its young crew experience the sheer terror and claustrophobic life of a submariner in World War II.

Year

1982

Duration

2h 29m

IMDb

8.4

Hero Poster

Cast

Wolfgang Petersen

Director

Jürgen Prochnow

Capt.-Lt. Henrich Lehmann-Willenbrock - Der Alte

Herbert Grönemeyer

Lt. Werner - Correspondent

Cast

Wolfgang Petersen

Director

Jürgen Prochnow

Capt.-Lt. Henrich Lehmann-Willenbrock - Der Alte

Herbert Grönemeyer

Lt. Werner - Correspondent

Klaus Wennemann

Chief Engineer Fritz Grade - Der Leitende-Der LI

Hubertus Bengsch

1st Lieutenant - Number One-1WO

Martin Semmelrogge

2nd Lieutenant - 2WO

Bernd Tauber

Kriechbaum - Chief Quartermaster-Navigator

Erwin Leder

Johann

Martin May

Ullman

Heinz Hoenig

Hinrich

Uwe Ochsenknecht

Chief Bosun

Claude-Oliver Rudolph

Ario

Jan Fedder

Pilgrim

Ralf Richter

Frenssen

Joachim Bernhard

Preacher

Oliver Stritzel

Schwalle

KB

Konrad Becker

Bockstiegel

LS

Lutz Schnell

Dufte

MH

Martin Hemme

Brückenwilli

LG

Lothar G. Buchheim

Writer

Wolfgang Petersen

Writer

Trailer

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Comments

10 Comments

@carlie5Jun 18, 2025

Abubacarr FofanaJan 14, 2025

I had to watch this film along with U-571 for a world history class report back in 2001. I checked out this film at my local library. It was three VHS tapes. I don't remember much about the film. I do remember it was very boring and trite. I remember it went into detail about the submariners' lives during the war and many dark shots of the submarine during the night. Other than that, I don't remember anything else. I didn't just rate this film a low score because it was meticulous and long. Many films of the kind can be good if they provide an interesting plot, story or something that makes the picture stand out in one's mind other than tedious boredom. For example I thought the movie Heat was boring for the most part, but there was a major scene in the movie that saved it completely: the bank robbery scene. That scene was probably one of the most intense and expertly executed action sequences I have ever seen. Another example is The American. It was another pretty boring movie except for a scene in the middle and its devastating ending. Those two scenes, and especially the ending, not only salvaged the movie, but took it to a completely new height. However this movie in my memory had just a documentary type bore throughout. I have to say I'm not sure if I paid attention throughout the whole movie, and I probably have to watch it again just to make sure about my opinion. Anyways, I remember watching U-571, another submarine movie, and it was a lot better. Not just because of the action sequences but because it was actually a thrilling ride. I felt as if I was one of the crew members on board. I don't understand why so many people have such a high opinion of this movie, but I will be sure to review the movie again just to make sure. 0/5

lovenell242Jan 14, 2025

Das Boot is one of the most emotionally involving movies I have ever seen. The characters are developed richly, without those awkward moments in movies when you realize that the director is doing so. You sympathize with the crew, and FEEL their plight as they struggle, cramped in a rickety U-boat against the odds. At times the movie grows slow and drawn out, but that is intentional- to make you feel like you are trapped in an underwater coffin with nothing to do, no where to go. The directing is great, the sound is fabulous! I've never heard faint noises tell a story like this before.

Abo amirJan 14, 2025

Das Boot is not just a great war film: it's a great film period. Maybe it is true that epic themes make the greatest novels and films. Here is a movie that explores heroism, duty, patriotism, hope, fear and the futility of war--all grand themes--explored in the confined, and collapsing, spaces of a German u-boat. I saw this film when I was a freshman in college during a weekend that I later dubbed my "depressing movie festival." (The Wall and Apocalypse Now were the other weekend "entries.") Of these films, it was Das Boot that haunted me--when I laid down at night, I saw Jurgen Proctow's pained blue eyes. When I woke in the morning, I felt as if I were escaping through the hatch of the submarine. I could not shake the images, and now some fifteen years later, I still remember how completely meaningless the movie made everything seem, and the nihilistic message stayed with me for a long, long time. How few films are there which affect the viewers on this level. To say this film is "powerful" seems so weak a description. Part of the "power" of the film comes, I think, from a certain restraint in the direction. So often, films which aspire to move the audience quickly fall into melodrama, over-acting, and overblown images. Too much. These often succeed in the immediate response (usually crying) but fail to impact the viewer on anything more than a surface level. Here, it is the small moments which fill the screen. Everywhere, all around is War, but for these men as we witness them, war does not begin with a capital "W". It is reality, not a grand concept. The director lets the story shock and horrify the audience, not by forcing it, but by letting the story just tell itself. Drama, tension and resolution occur naturally in Das Boot, which contributes to the very real impact of the film. Story is a 10, direction is a 10, acting is a 10 and the cinematography is a 10. One of the all-time greatest films.

Asha hopeFeb 15, 2023

Das Boot

azrel.ismailFeb 15, 2023

If I had the time to take this movie door-to-door and sit down with everyone in America to watch this film, I would. Everyone needs to realize that I have a fascination with submarine films. I loved The Hunt for Red October and Crimson Tide. Both of them rank as my top action films. I don't know why I love this genre so much. I think it has to do somewhat with my passion for sci-fi. The ocean is almost like fighting in another world. So many times we have seen wars play out on land, and while there is only so much you can show with a land fight, the war field on the open sea allows for so much more creativity. Director Wolfgang Peterson gives us some great characters. While not much dialogue happens in this film, you can see everyone's expressions on their faces, and those expressions tell better stories than words. You can see their fear, their excitement, their sadness, and their power by just the way that Peterson directs them. With his direction, I felt that I was on this U-Boat with the crew. Peterson perfectly portrays a feeling of crampness and claustrophobia wrapped together as one. I think that during one of the bombing scenes I broke a sweat because of what was happening on screen. Finally, I am also a fan of films that tell a different angle on the story. So many years I have watched war movie after war movie that show the victorious American's beating the classic "evil-doers". Now don't get me wrong, these are fun sometimes, but I love to see a different angle. In history class we didn't learn about the casualties of the Germans in WWII. We learn about them as a statistic, and never put these heroes on a human level. This film humanizes the German's conditions during the war. The Germans are human being also, who fought for their country just as valiantly as our soldiers did during WWII. They had families, they had pasts, they had homes that they left to become a part of history. To fight for your beliefs. That is what America teaches us, fight for what we believe in....doesn't it? I could talk about this for hours, but instead I am going to sit back, relax, and tell you how wonderful Das Boot was to watch. I have not been this entertained for a long time. Bravo to everyone involved in this film. I think it IS the best war film ever released (that I have seen). I want everyone to get out of their seats this weekend and go rent this movie. I guarantee that you will not be disappointed. Grade: ***** out of *****

rue.BabyFeb 15, 2023

What can be said about this epic that has not already been said? Peterson has created the grittiest, most realistic war drama ever. It knocks hollywood epics like Saving Private Ryan on their sorry overproduced, oversentimental behinds, it torpedoes other submarine films before they have a chance to shout "dive!, dive!, dive!". I first saw this in its original form as a miniseries with english subtitles, and if you can find this version then this should be your first port of call, although the Director's cut I now own is also top notch and doesn't miss much from the series. where to begin? The lurking claustrophobia, the dark humour, the gritty reality of the piece. The excellent acting, the perfect timing, the garotte of suspense tightened with every passing minute in much of the undersea scenes. The lack of any known "star" who you know will just save the day and live to tell the tale. The historical accuracy and attention to detail. The lack of a demonised "other" figure for the enemy. The lack of any kind of preachy message in the finale other than "War is Hell". It has everything you could ask of a TV series or film about the era. 10 out of 10.

Maipretty9Feb 15, 2023

10/10. 8/10 for the cut version. This is a superior war film, and I don't want to add to the reviews praising it. It's one of those films that will make you watch if only you can spare the ten minutes it takes for it to grip you. Being British, I thought it impossible to feel sorry for the U-boat crews, especially after what they did to us - but this film forces you to realise that we are all fragile and emotional (despite what Hitler says). I would recommend people watch the mini-s rather than the film (i.e. German subtitled version) to get the full flavor. As a side note, my grandfather (twice decorated destroyer captain) burst in to tears watching this at two points: One was at Gibralta, the other on the straights :| Says a lot.

Sally SoweFeb 15, 2023

One of the few movies that shows the war from a German perspective (the more recent "Downfall" is also unmissable) and makes for compelling viewing. You identify with the despair, the youngsters' need to "go home", the loves left behind, the fear of dying, the dawning enormity of their action as they recede from the survivors in the sea, the sheer fatigue of continuing when every nerve yearns to be free of the boat's confines - the pressures of war, and marvel at the courageous human will that keeps defying all odds and surviving. I found myself on edge for the entire movie, feeling as trapped inside the sub as the crew and even cheering as the boat surfaced in the end against all odds and then, mourning the futility of it all. The movie succeeds in showing the war as a very human tragedy, forcing us to not hide behind anonymous "enemy" tags. Among many tragic moments, especially poignant is the scene where the captain recants the incident of watching the survivors cry for help. You can almost see his eyes glistening. Almost. The cast is superb but the captain is outstanding, his eyes brilliantly essaying his emotions. Best version is the director's cut in the original German with English subtitles. What I don't understand is why Das Boot never won any Oscars. Can anyone shed light on this? Was it a political decision? (Btw, I think Saving Private Ryan is highly over-rated as an all-time great war movie).

Liako LebakengFeb 15, 2023

I first saw this film on the BBC when it was aired in it's mini series format. I was 13 at the time and was totally blown away by it. Up until then, the only war films i had seen were gung-ho movies, with GI's firing tommy guns from the hip at hoardes of evil Nazis. To see a film that showed 'the enemy' as human beings, with hopes, fears and dreams was something else to a 13 yr old kid. As i grew up i began to understand more about the second world war and was able to make up my own mind as to whether the 'evil Nazis' were all that the cinema portrayed them to be, but 'Das Boot' always stuck at the back of my mind as an outstanding example of how to show fighting men, from what ever side, in the best possible way. Lots of people rave about 'Saving Private Ryan' being the ultimate WW2 film. Although good, it isn't a patch on Das Boot. The Boat has everything; Fine actors, an excellent script (which doesn't deviate from the Novel at all) and excellent hand-held camera work, supported by brilliant lighting, and 20 years before 'Private Ryan' too! Das Boot is an excellent example of how to depict the horrors of war without resorting to a blood and gore fest and it remains a film that everyone should see it it's entirity at least once.