The Captain (2017)

This movie is genious. However many of the subtle details will be hard to notice or even understand if you are not german or know german society / germans really really well.

At first I expected this would be a story about "power corrupts and absolute power corrupts absolutely" focused on the person of Willi Herold. But it is more a subtle play on how every member of the social constuct that they are part of relies on just keeping up a facade in the face of annhiliation due to the uncertainty of the world they are living in. All the while being underlined with the very basic values of german culture. "There must be Ordnung", "very efficient solution" etc. etc.

The demons of rationalization do not come from within, they are suggested by the party, and the only thing stopping most people from applying the methods they have been so frequently presented, is their own conscience. However in dire straights, for instance when faced with certain death, some develop the strength to ignore these fetters.

After that there is no way back - or is there? The german authority actually gives him an additional chance and he can escape to freedom. At this point any pretense of this being a historical movie has long gone out the window - just like Willie Herold does. With the tolerance of the german estabishment.

And - as we can see during the credits - the likes of Willie Herold are among us to this day.

Fmovies: Considering Robert Schwentke's previous movies, I don't think he was the right director for this film. I didn't particularly like his past work, and DER HAUPTMANN makes no difference. It is obviously a story worth being told, since the script is based on true events and Willi Herold did in fact exist and commit all those crimes depicted here, but the movie is extremely inconsistent and doesn't know what it wants to be.

The first scene right away felt very odd, with the "Feldgendarmerie" (basically military police) chasing Herold, simultaneously shooting, shouting and playing a trumpet. The depiction of events continues like that, in some scenes deadly serious and in others very grotesque and satirical, and it doesn't match well. Schwentke should have just sticked to one tone and went with it. Especially in the last act, when the main event is already over, the story goes completely nuts, with the main characters partying and apparently forgetting the war surrounding them.

You also never get an authentic feeling of World War II being in its last phase. I can't even specify what exactly I felt offputting, but the film just doesn't convey an authentic atmosphere. Especially the first part of the movie felt quite cheap and "acted".

This leads me to my biggest problem, which was the depiction of Herold's character, whose motivation remained very unclear and whose decisions just didn't make a whole lot of sense. I know that the core story here actually happened, but the portrayal of the main character's actions in the film just isn't consequent. At first he obviously just wants to escape death when dressing up as a captain, then he suddenly turns into a complete psychopath within a day or so. At least that's what his horrific actions are depicted as: the actions of a psychopath, who suddenly has full command. But Max Hubacher's acting just doesn't convey that. I don't know if the problem lies in the script or in his acting to be honest, probably a little of both.

To sum it up, this film was a mess tonally as well as story-wise. I know what Schwentke was trying to do, showing the problematic nature of power relations and the exploitation of those. But the result just felt weird and, most importantly for a story like that, it just didn't feel authentic and hence doesn't do the real victims of Herold justice.

I think if the film had started before he deserted the dynamics would have played out better. He deserted for a reason- why? The film didn't demonstrate any kind of transition. However, the cinematography, Max's performance, and the gritty hell of war was realistic and superbly done. Black and white movies normally irritate me, but in this case it made the film unflinchingly raw.

The Captain fmovies. To me, it reminds Medieval stories about an accident changing everything. The man, the world as the best self definition. A film about fear. Its roots, its fruits, the absolute power covering all and the fragility of illegim position as source of cruel gestures and long chain of improvisations. The best point of film - the superb performance of Milan Peschel as Freytag. The simplicity of profound good man front to the high cruelty, knowing the truth, preserving respect, in the shell of a deep shock behind the gestures of young Herold. All is reflected by the great art of Peschel. The war becomes only pretext for the instincts of a falling world. The beautiful cinematography, the memories about similarities with films by Fellini or B>ergman, the veil of ash around each scene, the last words on screen about a private and his illusion of power , the predictable end of a story who is more real than reality .

At first i thought oh another ww2 movie from the perspective of one individual that will show the last year of the german nazi regime. But then as the movie started i got into captains head. It was like a clear presentation of an very inteligent pragmatic that at firat tried to survive as an deserter, but got into a role of someone else. His determination, inteligence, leadership, authority and discipline in playing his new role impacted on every other character through out the film. After a while i was shocked that this movie was based on real events. From survival to horror, despair and even theater and hedonism. Back and forth. Trully a remarkable movie.

This title is not like any other typical WWII film. There are no epic battles to witness and no glory for the viewer to hope for. Instead, the film takes a dark humanistic approach to explore the dynamics of power and authority. The quote "Power attracts the worst and worst, it corrupts the best" comes to mind when watching events unfold through many dialogue intensive scenes of the film. Others may see the movie dragging because of all the dialogue but for me, it's a chance to explore in depth the characters and their realistic reaction/behavior in the story. Although certain points of the plot can seem over dramatize which reminds me that the notion of this being based on a true story should be taken with a grain of salt. But overall, it feels authentic for the most part and it's refreshing.