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An interesting movie for 2 main reasons: 1) it shows the fragilities of the Nazi Germany towards the end of the war, with many German soldiers deserting the army (something nobody talks about) and 2) it shows the depths of the human ego and the decadence of character when power is given arbitrarily

This is a surprising movie. Th is poorly advertised/promoted movie delivers good script, acting and the camera work is A1. The movie is based on a true story of a low ranking German soldier who assumes the rank of a Captain and goes on a murderous rampage enlisting similar rogues to help him achieve it. While the actual historic criminal acts of murder are depicted in the movie, the graphic nature of it is not really thrown in your face. You can fill in the blanks. In authenticity, this movie is way up there. Uniforms, weapons and vehicles are all in line with the era.

When you see artillery and aerial bomb explosions in this movie, what is depicted is the same as actual artillery and aerial bombing of that time. They did a fine job replicating it..

The movie draws you in and it is gripping to say the least. I give it a solid 8 stars.

The film revolves around authority, the trust we tend to have towards a person we endow with authority, official ranks, hierarchy, "Kameradschaft", the sense of belonging to a group, and (for me at least), egoism in general. It is also quite brutal and sadistic. The story itself, with the most improbable twists, is taken from a real life story at the end of the war. It is rare in war films to have the perspective of the criminal. We do not sympathise with him, but rather he impersonates the beast in every one of us. Another merit of the film is quite natural: German actors can of course impersonate German soldiers better than for example US ones, it also gives a realistic touch to the film as opposed to US war movies featuring evil nazis. The message of the film was for me clear and delivered with a great impression - I will not write it here as it would be flat in my words.

Germany, April 1945. WW2 in Europe is almost over, resulting in mass desertions and disorder in German ranks. One deserter, Willi Herold, is on the run when he comes across the abandoned uniform of a Luftwaffe captain. Impersonating a captain he gathers together a rag tag group who assume the role of an anti-deserter/looter task force. Things come to a head when he is given responsibility for a camp where deserters, looters etc are detained, with dire consequences.

Interesting WW2 drama, based on a true story. Quite novel in that it doesn't involve any confrontation with the enemy (well, except for one scene): the struggle is all internal. Also covers areas of WW2 that don't get much attention: the post-apocalyptic-like final days of Nazi Germany, the treatment of deserters etc and this series of events in particular.

Plot is reasonably engaging, though a bit too drawn out. It could also have been more powerful: despite the events portrayed it really didn't feel that gritty or shocking. Everything just seems to happen, sometimes as if in slow motion. Maybe that's the effectiveness of the film: by the time you reach the critical moments you've become desensitised to all the killing, anarchy and atrocities. Still, it felt a bit flat to me.

Great performance by Max Hubacher in the lead role. Solid supporting cast.

Worth watching for a different angle on WW2. Not a must-see though.

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.

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 .

It's beautifully lit and shot movie. Greatly edited. Boldly directed. Yet somehow empty. Brings to my mind great "Ravenous" by Katherine Bigelow - the same, bit weird, grotesque, satirical tone of the story, the same kind of director's interest in evil within any of us. But - from staging and casting, trough costumes, props, locations, acting, cinematography, to editing, and the role of music and color - "The Captain" is much much much better, more consistent and more determined in terms of aesthetics than Bigelow's vision. And, in the same time, much much much more misleading in terms of its identity. You really can't tell WHAT kind of movie this is exactly - a bit thriller, a bit war cinema, a bit western, a bit drama, a bit dark comedy, a bit fairy-tale, a bit noir, even a bit horror and poetry.... It's refreshing to see WWII topic being treated with such a nonchalant attitude (Tarantino does not count - he is just a separate ligue of his own, and his aims with "Glorious Bestards" are just completely different in my opinion), but on the other hand "The Captain" seems bit immature, bit comic-like, bit 'form-over-substance' kind of thing. But... on the other hand again - the grotesque immaturity of depiction corresponds with grotesque immaturity of the very young main character who's real-life doings were the core of the story. On the other hand though... end credits add another layer of interpretation to the mix. And so on, and so on.

Very thought provoking movie - if you like to think about cinema's language and purpose, or the reasons behind every evil (or even about a role of ego in those two areas respectively). Not so much if you want to explore REAL dilemmas and REAL tragedies of WWII - here, those are SURREAL rather.

Summing up - definitely worth watching, as a somehow different approach to an already very well covered subject.

You can compare this WWO2 movie with the style of Dunkirk. That means that the movie is not for everyone, but if you can appreciate this kind of movies, it's magnificent. The movie doesn't want to be a hollywood blazing brainless action movie, but wants to portrait the germans on an individual level. Like @barta-46978 says, the movie is about authority and gives yourself an insight in what it must have been at the time, and even how you would react in the given circumstances. The movie is explicit and kind of shocking. It really intrigued me, we need more movies like this.

I'd like to make it very clear that I seldom rate any film a 10. IMDB is awash with 10's that have little originality and are complete nonsense ratings. 10 should ALWAYS be reserved for films which are unique and outstanding. Now I know that is rather a vague definition but for me, at the end of the day a '10' has got to be reserved in order to maintain some modicum of rating integrity.

This film took me on a quite unexpected journey; From an apparantly innocent private just trying to etch out some degree of respite and dignity from the chaos of war, to a shakespearean like or perhaps more fittingly Conrad-like descent into the depths of desperation, depravity and moral absence. The film has so many layers and aspects of what human beings are capable of under extreme conditions; The man who chooses to take his own life, immediately juxtaposed by his friend who proceeds to take the lives of others in the hope of extending his own until the next appalling moral dilemma is presented. (too many to go into here). There is so much I could say about this film but will just end on one particularly high impact scene that at least for me, represented both the darkness of nature, and that of human nature: Towards the end of the film, the protagonist comes across skeletal remains in a forest. One particular artistic cinematic shot renders the remains in such a way that they appear to have oozed out, or been thrown out, by the dark mouth of the forest, the forest clearly being a metaphor for the dark power of nature that has no moral measure; it just, is.

Der Hauptmann was a fascinating watch. Watching, the young paratrooper Wili Herold get in over his head and essentially begin BSing his way to the top was as an entertaining watch for me as it was disturbing.

Though the film is incredible in its presentation and acting, it still has its flaws. Upon finishing the film packed full of war crimes and human disparity, I left it feeling like I had taken nothing from it after its shocking scenes. The Captain has essentially no moral or messages to showcase beyond just telling a story of a power-hungry monster and the overtones of Nazi cruelty. It didn't feel like there was any methodology to the madness. If thats what people are looking for when watching this movie then by all means. However for me, I feel like there are plenty more substantial films that do what The Captain sets out to and better, with some greater substance.

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.

A disturbing film for sensitive people. Some actors are very good, others less good. The story is true. Horrors committed at the end of World War II. But the whole history of "humanity" tells us that man is the most vile species.

Well maybe "knew it" would be better ... but that would not be as close to the song as I had in mind. Just a little nugget/hint/joke I like to make with my summary lines. Not that this is a comedy - most German movies are either known as romantic comedies/dramas or have the second world war as a topic - this obviously being the latter.

This has an intersting twist with a character assuming a position and power grab, that will run throughout the movie. War is not a game and what it does with people (especially when they get into a position of power) is shown here very vividly. Very well played and acted (mostly in black and white nonetheless). If you don't have issues with the subject matter and the symbols shown, the movie might be something you want to watch. Interesting take to say the least.

An interesting piece of cinema filmed in B&W about a private who takes on the role of a captain. I enjoyed the way his role played out and thought he was a great choice to play the part of the captain. I won't say much about the plot, but as a war movie fan, this rates in the top ten for me.

Dark film which is compelling due to it being a true story

The lead actor was very good as "The Captain " though there were some "cabaret " moments in the movie

Not as good as I thought it would be, but still worth a watch

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.

... I couldn't help feel there was something missing. I couldn't pinpoint what, but the film just felt incomplete. Perhaps it was character development, as you don't find out much at all about those that tag along with the captain. Worth a watch, but don't expect anything of 'Downdall' quality.

"The Captain" is a History - War movie in which we are two weeks before the end of World War II and we watch a young German soldier trying to survive when he finds a Nazi captain's uniform. He pretends to be a captain and his behavior changes very much making the same monstrous mistakes that his perpetrators did before him and he was trying to escape from.

I liked this movie very much because it had a very interesting plot and many good scenes. I liked the direction which was made by Robert Schwentke who is also the writer and I believe he did a great job on it. He combined very some historical events with his story and also showed us the cruelty of Nazi and what they did or what they were capable of doing. Another thing that I believe it's very important is the evolve of his main character, he started as a young frightened boy and in the end, he had courage, pride, and honor. It reminded me of the movie "Das Experiment" which was also presented very well what can happen if power is given to the wrong people. Regarding the interpretations, I liked the interpretation of Max Hubacher who played as Willi Herold and he was very good at his role, Frederick Lau who played as Kipinski and Milan Peschel who played as Freytag.

In conclusion, I have to say that "The Captain" is a nice movie with an interesting plot, some very good interpretations, and a very good direction. I recommend everyone to watch this movie because I am sure that you are going to enjoy it and I also believe that if you are a fan of war movies then you really have to watch this movie since it presents the true face of war.

The Captain is based on a true story taking place near the end of WWII. A deserter comes upon a car with a captain's uniform and assumes the role of the officer. He hoodwinks his fellow Nazi's at a camp and orders the executions of them without any trial. The film is in black and white and reminded me of the TV series "Hogan's Heroes." It is dark and depressing film with good acting but I just could not get into it. I am surprised at the high numerical rating. The two hour running time certainly feels long and unending. I was relieved when it finally ended.

Recommended, it's sometimes a little slow - at the beginning, sometimes harrowing, sometimes even light hearted but always interesting. Beautifully shot in Germany and the lead is icily menacing. Definitely worth a watch for a very different view than usual war films.