Der letzte Zug

This is by far the best Holocaust related movie of them all. That it is basically unheard of in the English speaking world is both an absolute travesty, and in some ways - very befitting the content of the movie.

The acting is - without exception - well above par. The cinematography superbly Oscar worthy and the direction flawless.

But this is a HARD movie to watch - make no mistake about it. It is utterly devastating; I had to turn it off twice and compose myself before watching it again. That makes this, at least in my books, one of the bravest takes on this horrific period in history.

My only singular criticism would be that the movie is not quite claustrophobic enough - the reality of the transportation trains by all accounts is that there was not even enough room to sit down - they had the carriages loaded so fully. But this is the last train to Auschwitz and populated with less than 700 Jews - so that may explain it. The transition from oppressed ghetto Jew to death camp deportee is very real and you are led through the journey in utter terror. You hope against hope for a happy ending - but as we all know - the journey to the death camp was just the beginning of the end for almost all the Jews who were sent to Auschwitz. It's a must watch film - even if for no other reason that to keep alive that awful stain on mankind lest it ever happens again - if you do nothing else in your life ever, watch this movie. I do not want to do any spoilers - but I would STRONGLY caution parents of very young children who might watch this movie. No pain is spared and there are some harrowing scenes, some truly truly harrowing scenes.

I gave this the full ten for many reasons - but mostly because it is the best movie I have seen since "Let the Right One In" about 20 years ago.

Whether you're a WW2 completist, someone with interest in the Holocaust or Nazi history, or simply someone who appreciates a well-told if hard-hitting movie, this is a gem.

The casting is perfect and the acting sublime. There are even a few babies in the mix, and their behavior is just as convincing as the most seasoned actors on the train. The depiction of the hellish journey is highly authentic, conveying in detail the physical hardship and growing despair as reality sinks in and the last vestiges of hope slip away.

Considering the large number of Jews on the train, the director efficiently manages to establish strong personal sympathy for many. The other characters are historically appropriate and fair in their depictions.

The Polish engineers are conflicted, one tempted to help the suffering passengers, the other shutting that idea down out of fear for his own safety.

The Germans running the transport are as nasty as any Nazis ever depicted in the cinema. Their violence is shocking and appalling, as are the actions of their Ukrainian SS collaborators. But again, balance is offered in a scene involving German soldiers who intervene to halt a bout of sadistic torment.

Like "Hotel Rwanda" and "Come and See" this film stands as an important reminder of the depths of depravity possible when mob mentality is harnessed in the cause of evil. With its high production values and emotional accessibility, it would be a great aid for teachers of Holocaust history.

A group of jews taken to concentration camp by train.. Really its very hurting to watch this movie because each and every people suffered in the train cabin...they got thirsty and hungry but germans wont feed them anything.. Most of all starve to death even babies also.. Very raw film without hide anything... Must watch movie for realize that we are living in heaven...

Having seen so many of these movies (one can never get enough of the Nazi nightmare can it), I must say that this one hits particularly hard. In an attempt to rid Berlin of all Jews the vary last of them are summoned up and uploaded to a train that is Auschwitz bound (Question- if you are a Jew in it's 1943 in Berlin (For God's sake, Hitler was just a few block away) what are you doing living in the open like everything was normal? why aren't you hiding or better yet why didn't you leave and go somewhere safe). This is not just a holocaust film, it is much more then that, it is a character study of both Jews, Ukrainians, Nazis and "Good Germans" all encased in a story that although is hard to watch is a piece of art that will make you sad and pensive.

I expected a hard film and I wasn't wrong. If you cannot digest suffering scenes this isn't for you. The story is well built and shows the countdown from the arrests until the arrival to the nightmare Ausschwitz. I was never boring because there were lot of moments where I have to think about. I still cannot believe that the humanity is able to do pains and kill so many innocent people but it's the truth. The history shows that the Jewish people have been always followed in the past and I can only pray for all the victims and children that have to die during the second World War. DER LETZTE ZUG has a great meaning for me and we should never forget what happened in the wars. All the actors played very strong and this movie should earn at least attention from all the audience. 7/10.