Hans Naslund
A film on world war II, made in the 21th century, where German soldiers still speaks fluently cockney British, just does not grab me. Atop of that a corny music score makes this a perfect rot. How anyone can really like this masterpiece of boredom - in our days - puzzles me.How on earth could this film find the producers to financially back it up? No serious director with an ambition can do a world war movie where Germans troops speaks English! I am surprised to see so many viewers here giving The Bunker quite fine marks and approving words. The story itself could have been handled with some finesse and possibly resulted in a film worth seeing had the director been, for instance, Steven Spielberg. But I doubt even he could have taken this script that far.
Mark Hale
"The Bunker" features a cast of fine British character actors and Charley Boorman. That's not to say that Boorman isn't good in his role, just that this film is more his level. Guys like Jason Flemyng, Jack Davenport, Christopher Fairbank and even TV regulars Eddie Marsan and Andrew Tiernan could do this sort of film in their sleep, although they all pitch in to "The Bunker" with enthusiasm.Well, I say "enthusiasm" but I mean war-weary cynicism. The film is set at the nadir of the Third Reich and all the actors in "The Bunker" portray German soldiers in varying degrees of despair or denial. This was what kept me watching the film, as the men stuck in the bunker were forced to face some unknown evil and ended up tearing themselves (and each other) apart. It's a variation on the standard "Old Dark House" horror theme and it works quite well, but "The Bunker" brings very little that's new or exciting to the screen. There aren't many shocks - more a sense of creeping dread as events unfold, and what could be referred to as "The Twist" at the end has been regularly signposted all the way through the story with grainy flashback scenes.You may enjoy it but this old couch potato won't bother with "The Bunker" again. It's a quality production let down by a 6-bob screenplay.
gazineo-1
Extremely boring war movie that tries to establishes a link with terror/horror theme but fails miserably in all the points. So, the movie is a completely failures as a war movie and as a terror/horror flick. The 'Bunker' has a simple plot, in fact. A group of German soldiers enter a bunker to escape an attack of Allied soldiers. In the bunker, they find an old private and a young soldier. There's an atmosphere of mystery all around. The old man is a bit out of mind and very frightened and the young soldier is mesmerized by the tales and weird stories always repeated by the old man about strange facts concerning the bunker. But you'll never know what is the real problem. But you'll have many options: ghosts? zombies? witches? Although all the cards put on the table, the game never ended because here's no satisfactory and reasonable answer at the end. The cast is correct with Jason Flemyng - here the most recognizable actor in the bunch - and Eddie Marsan who did a good job as the old private.
moonduck
Judging by the DVD cover (American release) would make one think this is yet another zombie horror gore-fest. Fortunately this movie does not live up to the cover. It is a good directorial debut, not overburdened with special effects, CGI and obligatory 20+ cutes with perfect faces and bodies. It is a story about effect of war and the atrocities committed in the name of 'patriotism' on the average person. It truly brings home that most soldiers, regardless of nationality, are just people; flawed, brave, trying to survive. I don't feel that the British accents detracted from the story at all. When watching a movie we are asked to suspend our disbelief, even when the story is based on a true event. Do not judge this movie by just looking at the surface; go deeper and let the underlying story speak to you. It will make you think.
AD
