'Masterpiece' war film rated 'one of the best' has 90% Rotten Tomatoes score

A 2004 "masterpiece" war film might be one of the most underrated movies that depict the events of World War 2. This moment in history has inspired countless pieces of literature, from novels to films to television series, to such an extent that WW2 has pretty much become a genre of its own. Some of the most popular films in the genre include Dunkirk, Saving Private Ryan, The Boy in the Striped Pyjamas and Casablanca.

But there are some that you may have never seen before. One of them is Downfall (2004). This film depicts Hitler and his comrades barricading themselves in the Führerbunker as the Allied forces close in on the Nazi capital. While many of Hitler's comrades pledge to stand by the Nazi leader, his personal secretary, Traudl, tries to escape. The story is voiced by Traudl as Hitler barks orders at imaginary armies and rages against his perceived betrayers.

The film has stood the test of time to become one of the best-rated flicks of the WW2 genre. It currently has a score of 90% on Rotten Tomatoes, as determined by a combination of critics. However, it scores even higher with general audiences, with an impressive score of 94% based on more than 50,000 reviews.

It is clear that this film has made an impression on viewers. Today, fans will have to rent it on streaming services like Now TV or Apple TV as it isn't readily available to stream in the UK as part of any subscriptions.

Fans have piled on the praise for this film. One Reddit user called it a "masterpiece" and hailed it as "one of the most tragic stories from the final moments of WW2."

On Rotten Tomatoes, one reviewer said: "A gripping, compelling, and horrifying look at the last days of the Third Reich." Another wrote: "The best acting of any film I've ever seen in my lifetime. Every single actor in the film brings their A++ game."

A third shared: "This film is plain spectacular. The performances, the casting of this film was hauntingly accurate, the direction by Oliver Hershbeigal, the screenplay and the entire story were outstanding. This is by far my all-time favourite foreign language movie full stop."

A fourth said: "Absolutely fantastic film. Does it humanise Hitler? Yes. But guess what? He was human. And this shows him more as he truly was, which makes it all the more terrifying."