As a piece of acting, Ganz’s work is not just astounding, it’s actually rather moving. But I have doubts about the way his virtuosity has been put to use.
Not so much a Hitler movie as a portrait of a totalitarian machine's spiritual and emotional collapse, Downfall is a cumulatively powerful Goetterdammerung centered on the last 10 days of the bunkered Fuehrer and those around him.
88
ReelViewsJames Berardinelli
ReelViewsJames Berardinelli
Downfall and Bruno Ganz are deserving of Oscars they will not get.
80
The A.V. ClubNathan Rabin
The A.V. ClubNathan Rabin
Downfall's overstuffed melodrama juggles countless subplots and a small army of characters who manage to make an impression in spite of limited screen time.
75
Entertainment WeeklyOwen Gleiberman
Entertainment WeeklyOwen Gleiberman
If I respect Downfall more than I was enthralled by it, that's because its portayal stops short of revelation. Once you witness Hitler's denial, the film has little more to say about him.
50
Village VoiceJ. Hoberman
Village VoiceJ. Hoberman
Downfall may be grimly self-important and inescapably trivializing. But we should be grateful that German cinema is more inclined to normalize the nation's history than rewrite it.