Entertainment Weekly
"Of all the actors who have taken up the dare of playing Adolf Hitler, Bruno Ganz may be the first who has truly nailed him in body, spirit, and gesture." 02/25/2005 p.79-80New York Times
"[Ganz] tackles the biggest monster of them all with appropriate sobriety and a touch of mischief." 02/18/2005 p.E1 USA Today
"[P]owerfully disturbing....The film is painstaking in its re-creation of the fall of Berlin, with captivating camera work, mostly with handheld equipment, and disconcertedly realistic war scenes." 02/18/2005 p.9E Uncut
"This is an impeccable, unflinching film." 04/01/2005 p.136 Los Angeles Times
"[T]he reality it confronts is so gripping, we cannot turn away." 02/25/2005 p.E1 Sight and Sound
"[Ganz] succeeds brilliantly with this gift of a role, haunting the mind for days afterwards..." 05/01/2005 p.52-53 Uncut
Ranked #2 in Uncut's Best Films Of 2005 -- "Claustrophobia and intensity prevail, the performances are frighteningly believable." 01/01/2006 p.82 James Berardinelli's ReelViews 9 of 10
Downfall is the third major filmed account of Hitler's final ten days, following in the distant wake of 1973's Hitler: The Last Ten Days and 1981's The Bunker. A superior production to both of the earlier movies, Downfall is a windfall for anyone who, like me, is fascinated by stories from World War II. The first internationally released German production to feature Hitler as a central figure, Oliver Hirschbiegel's film has been criticized in some circles as presenting a portrait of the Fuhrer that is "too sympathetic." In fact, nothing could be further from the truth. As portrayed in a powerhouse performance by Bruno Ganz, Hitler comes across as a petty, demented figure who spews bile as he rants and raves. The lone exception is an establishing scene in 1942 (when Hitler chooses a secretary), where he appears almost grandfatherly. Other than that, he is shown to be a conscienceless, hateful madman who believes his people deserve to die because they are no longer fit to live. - James Berardinelli
San Francisco Chronicle 10 of 10
It's a satisfying film in many ways -- dramatic, accurate and harrowing, effectively photographed and brilliantly acted. It's also a useful film, in its portrayal of the specific nature of institutional fanaticism. Historical monsters, such as Magda Goebbels and Hitler, are presented as human beings, not caricatures. The effect is not to make them more sympathetic, not even remotely, but rather to provide insight into the mechanics and mental processes behind acts of absolute evil. - Mick LaSalle
Chicago Sun-Times 10 of 10
Admiration I did not feel. Sympathy I felt in the sense that I would feel it for a rabid dog, while accepting that it must be destroyed. I do not feel the film provides "a sufficient response to what Hitler actually did," because I feel no film can, and no response would be sufficient. All we can learn from a film like this is that millions of people can be led, and millions more killed, by madness leashed to racism and the barbaric instincts of tribalism. - Roger Ebert
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