90
Los Angeles Times by Kevin Thomas
It is the kind of superbly crafted, intelligent entertainment — a classic suspense thriller — that nowadays is as welcome as it is rare.
The Tunnel (Der Tunnel)
Critic Rating
(read reviews)User Rating
- Germany
- 2001
- · 150m
Director
Roland Suso Richter
Cast
Heino Ferch,
Nicolette Krebitz,
Sebastian Koch,
Alexandra Maria Lara,
Claudia Michelsen,
Felix Eitner
Genre
Drama,
Thriller
Loosely inspired by true events, an East German Olympic swimmer, Harry Melchior, hatches an unlikely plot to defect from East Germany through an extensive underground tunnel in order to save his sister - and a few, unexpected others who are hoping to get their relatives out of East Germany, as well.
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What are critics saying?
90
Washington Post by Stephen Hunter
Anyhow, either as history at its most inspiring or moviemaking at its most exciting, The Tunnel is a trip.
80
Washington Post by Michael O'Sullivan
Good old-fashioned movie storytelling that steadily builds, over the course of nearly three hours, to a white-knuckle conclusion that satisfies on nearly every level.
80
Variety by Derek Elley
A cracking slice of old-fashioned, widescreen entertainment.
80
L.A. Weekly by Ella Taylor
Director Roland Suso Richter gives a raw, frank but sophisticated account of the excruciating logistics of this great escape, and the appalling, inspiring blend of betrayal and courage that attended the group's herculean efforts.
75
Miami Herald by Marta Barber
There are few moments when you're not totally absorbed by the film.
75
San Francisco Chronicle by Jonathan Curiel
So many twists and turns, it seems like fiction.
75
New York Daily News by Elizabeth Weitzman
Though the film is as long as the escape route, Richter's brisk direction keeps us riveted through the suspenseful finish of his vivid history lesson.
70
The New York Times
The film convincingly portrays the devastating, life-altering hardships and restrictions that the residents of the divided Berlin endured.
70
The A.V. Club by Nathan Rabin
The Tunnel boasts the kind of plot that would seem ridiculously implausible if it weren't based on a true story.
70
The New York Times by Laura Kern
The film convincingly portrays the devastating, life-altering hardships and restrictions that the residents of the divided Berlin endured.
63
New York Post by Lou Lumenick
Director Roland Suso Richter maintains tension for 2 1/2 hours, even though the resolution is almost surreal.
60
TV Guide Magazine by Maitland McDonagh
Genuinely gripping, balancing the travails of constructing the tunnel against the characters' stories with considerable skill.
50
Village Voice
Director Roland Suso Richter skillfully wields the wall as a metaphor for isolation, but his pacing needs work: He cuts from an emotional death to a rowdy scene of sex on a kitchen table. Well, that's one way to mourn.
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