39 of 39 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars
Tense, well acted, 2 1/2 hour+ escape flick., February 22, 2006
This review is from: The Tunnel (DVD)
This made for German television epic story of several people attempting to help their friends, families, and loved ones escape from East Berlin to free West Berlin. It is based on a true story, and in the DVD extras, you actually get to meet the real man responsible for the story in this film, whose name was slightly changed for the movie.
Popular German actor Heino Ferch gives a superb performance as the leader of a group of tunnel diggers, determined to get their loved ones out of the Communist side of Berlin, just after the Berlin Wall was built. For Ferch's character, Harry, it's his beloved sister, for Harry's friend Matthis, it's his spouse, and for the young girl Fritzi, who the group are quite suspisious of, it's her fiance' who is currently building the wall, but desperately wants out. There are many others helping, who don't necessarily have loved ones to help escape, including the American, Vic, who despite his leg injury, is just as determined as the rest, and even takes some of the biggest risks in the film.
The performances throughout the entire cast are top notch, and while there isn't a ton of action until the end, the tense atmosphere of the film really keeps you glued to the set. The emotions in the film are high, and the bonds between Harry and his sister, Lotte, and Matthis and his wife Carola, are so realistically portrayed, that it's easy to see why they are going through months and months of digging to get these people out.
The 167 minutes seem like they flew on by, and I could have gone on watching more of these intriguing characters. It's better than any other spy or war thrillers released in any country over the last several years. Hard to believe it was made for German TV, as it blows away several big screen productions. The direction, cinematography, script, and choice of actors cannot be faulted, and the only fault would be if you miss this gripping film.
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25 of 26 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars
Der Tunnel, November 17, 2005
This review is from: The Tunnel (DVD)
For all you fans of cold war movies and spy thrillers....look no further. This is the movie we've been waiting for. Set in Berlin in 1961-62 this film is intense and thrilling. The viewer doesn't know what's going to happen right up until the end. This ranks to me, as one of the top spy/espionage/thriller movies of all time, side by side with "Day of the Jackal". All Star performances all around by the cast....especially the three female leads. This is a MUST purchase.
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15 of 15 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars
Up there with the best releases from Germany over the last couple of years, September 27, 2007
This review is from: The Tunnel (DVD)
There have been some superb movies coming out of Germany over the past couple of years. Reunification seems to have unleashed a wellspring of creative, complex looks at what was going on inside the country during World War II and during the period where the country was riven into two parts, East and West.
Head-On and
The Lives of Others are among the best five movies I've ever seen. Other standouts include
Downfall and
Good Bye, Lenin!. I've even enjoyed softer fare like
Mostly Martha (although steer clear of 'No Reservations', the off-target Catherine Zeta-Jones remake) and the inimitable
Run Lola Run.
"The Tunnel" ranks among the best of these. Lots of familiar faces here to German film lovers - Sebastian Koch was playwright Georg Dreyman in Lives of Others; Heino Ferch was Albert Speer in Downfall (IMDB points out that Koch has also played Speer on-screen); Germany's most beautiful woman Alexandra Maria Lara (IMDB says she was "ranked #1 in a list by tabloid 'Bild' searching the '50 most beautiful Germans of today' (28 April 2005)") was Hitler's secretary Traudl Junge (she of the 'blind spot' -
Blind Spot - Hitler's Secretary - in Downfall. I'd never seen Nicolette Krebitz before, but she's the standout here, even amongst that stellar group.
The film is over two-and-a-half hours long, but you'll hardly notice the time. It's a suspenseful, bracing trip well worth your time. Make sure to watch the 'Making Of' featurette to see how they constructed the tunnel. It's eye-opening.
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