The Tunnel (Der Tunnel) poster & wallpaper
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Heino Ferch, Nicolette Krebitz, Sebastian Koch, Alexandra Maria Lara, Claudia Michelsen ... see more see more... , Felix Eitner , Mehmet Kurtulus , Karin Baal , Florian Panzner , Heinrich Schmieder

The true story of Hasso Herschel inspired this epic Cold War drama from Germany. Harry Melchoir (Heino Ferch) was a respected German athlete when the Berlin Wall forcibly divided the nation in 1961. U... read more read more...nwilling to cooperate with the East German authorities, Melchoir escaped to West Berlin, along with his friends Matthis (Sebastian Koch), Vic (Mehmet Kurtulus), and Fred (Felix Eitner). When he fled to West Germany, Melchoir was forced to leave his family behind, and he fears for the fate of his sister Lotte (Alexandra Maria Lara). Eager to free Lotte from East German rule, Melchoir strikes upon the idea of building a tunnel under the wall that will allow her to leave the country undetected; Melchoir recruits Matthis, Vic, and Fred to help him, along with a resourceful woman named Fritzi (Nicolette Krebitz). It isn't long before Melchoir and his compatriots discover that many others want to help their friends and family escape the East German regime, and the simple tunnel turns into a massive building and engineering project that's both ambitious and fraught with danger for all parties concerned. Der Tunnel was produced as a two-part miniseries for German television; an edited feature-length version was prepared for possible theatrical release outside Europe. ~ Mark Deming, Rovi

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91% liked it

2,856 ratings

Critics

84% liked it

25 critics

Unrated, 2 hr. 40 min.

Directed by: Roland Suso Richter

Release Date: January 1, 2001

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DVD Release Date: October 4, 2005

Stats: 184 reviews

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Flixster Reviews (184)

  • moonrivers
    May 15, 2012
    moonrivers
    Originally a miniseries for German television and based on real events (two phrases usually marked for contempt) here is a tension riveting trip to Berlin in the days right after The Wall was built. Rich with nuanced character development (and informed by American media) its not... read more quite so far or long as may be imagined. A consideration on illegal immigration worth your time.
  • itsjustme2004
    April 23, 2011
    itsjustme2004
    Based on true events. A gripping drama about a group of people in the early '60s who try to break out their loved ones living in communist East Berlin..by digging a 145 meter tunnel under the Berlin Wall. I enjoyed this film so much that it didn't feel even close to being 2 hours... read more and 47 minutes long. Very tense, and dramatic.
  • imrealgod
    February 14, 2011
    imrealgod
    Based on true events, this movie uses loads of general rules of fictionalization. While that surely made it look somewhat unauthentic, nevertheless, it also helped to keep me hooked to the movie. The project was almost always on the brink of destruction, but they manage to escape... read more somehow. The story was nicely weaved, and I kept wondering what's next. Because the movie is based on real events, it made me care more for its characters. Although it doesn't reflect the events as they actually occurred, the movie succeeds in dramatizing the events so as to make it more intriguing. I don't know if I'd have liked the simple filming of the events without fictionalization. Probably, I may know it some day if at all I can get to see that 1962 movie "Tunnel 28" (aka "Escape from East Berlin") which displays some real footage of the events. However, the probability for that is almost negligible.

    One of the best escape movies which had escaped from my attention till date. I can't recall how I exactly stumbled upon it. Seems like it isn't that popular, even though IMHO, it's far better than "The Great Escape".
  • gator681
    July 30, 2007
    gator681
    [font=Century Gothic]"The Tunnel" starts in 1961 as the Berlin Wall is being built by East German authorities to stem the flow of emigration to the West. Engineer Matthis Hiller(Sebastian Koch) succeeds in escaping via the sewers but is separated in the confusion from his wife, ... read moreCarola(Claudia Michelsen). From West Berlin, he manages to get a fake passport back to his friend, Harry Melchior(Heino Ferch), a champion swimmer, who strolls to freedom. But Harry cannot arrange for his sister Lotte's(Alexandra Maria Lara) family to be brought over to the West, and cannot abide being separated from her. So, he cooks up a plan with Matthis, Vittorio(Mehmet Kurtulus), an American expatriate, and Fred(Felix Eitner), a West German native, to dig a tunnel 145 meters into East Berlin from an abandoned factory on the west side of the wall.[/font]
    [font=Century Gothic][/font]
    [font=Century Gothic]Incredibly based on a true story, "The Tunnel" gets off to a horrendous start as it seems at first to be only concerned with making political points instead of telling a story. But once it gets going, the movie develops into a taut thriller with more than its share of heartrending moments, any politics subtly pushed into the background. In the end, it is about ordinary people turned into real-life heroes caught between two conflicting ideologies, watching their country being torn apart and no longer able to trust each other.[/font]
  • mvieaddict
    June 23, 2011
    mvieaddict
    Based on a true story Der Tunnel was the story of a champion swimmer Harry who managed to escape from East Berlin to the West. Some of his friends made it also but some of their families are left behind. I was aware of the history of German situation after the WWII, when Berlin w... read moreas separated in two through a wall. But this movie showed the real life stories of the people in the DDR, what they had to endure and their urge to escape to West Germany. In the beginning it showed more about making of the tunnel but even so it maintained the tension for almost three hours.The cast was well chosen and the acting was excellent. A heartbreaking story that will have you on the edge of your seat. Worth watching. I highly recommend this movie. Don't miss it.
  • jackamaku
    February 23, 2009
    jackamaku
    Based on a true story about a group of Germans who hatch a plan to tunnel under the Berlin Wall to free friends and relatives trapped on the East side. I realized as I was watching this that although I had seen films about East Berlin, I hadn't really seen anything about the Wal... read morel itself being built, and what life was like during that transitional period in Berlin. A fascinating story, although a few plot points make you wonder whether "artistic license" trumped true events. The director uses old fashioned, no-frills film making, and the almost 3 hour running time means character development doesn't get tossed aside for plot and suspense. And speaking of suspense, it was nice to watch a historical story that I didn't already know the outcome.
  • stratjas9
    March 13, 2007
    stratjas9
    Great gripping exciting Berlin Wall story!
  • brunolot1
    November 24, 2011
    brunolot1
    A "must-see!" Suspense is the right word! The characters are specific and interesting enough that any clichà (C)s present pass nearly unnoticed, due to the intensity of the narrative. All around great production, acting, cinematography.
  • GabrielKnight
    September 25, 2011
    GabrielKnight
    I had high expectations due to good reviews but somehow was underwhelmed by this movie. It's not bad per se, but it seemed too long and lacking dramatic tension. After watching the movie I realized it was actually a mini-series made for German TV, so that explains it.
  • RicC
    April 13, 2011
    RicC
    It's got a pretty lengthy run time, but it doesn't really weigh in considering it's a thriller and the story threads are mixed in in a timely fashion. The plot also runs on a formula familiar to characters in predicaments of romance, camaraderie, and suspense, but the political s... read morepin gives it a unique flavor seeing how its core is factual. German Hollywood still has great actors, directing, scripts, and is entertaining.

    Edit: This is actually a made-for-TV movie. It's one of the best I've seen, if I may say so, and easily towers over the typical Hollywood garbage.

View All The Tunnel (Der Tunnel) Reviews

Critic Reviews

Kevin Thomas
September 15, 2005
Kevin Thomas, Los Angeles Times

It is the kind of superbly crafted, intelligent entertainment -- a classic suspense thriller -- that nowadays is as welcome as it is rare. Full Review

Michael Booth
September 2, 2005
Michael Booth, Denver Post

A true story few people will know, and it's told with a warm, crafty efficiency that makes for wonderful entertainment. Full Review

Ty Burr
September 2, 2005
Ty Burr, Boston Globe

It's a gripping great-escape yarn of the sort we don't see much anymore. Full Review

Stephen Hunter
August 19, 2005
Stephen Hunter, Washington Post

Either as history at its most inspiring or moviemaking at its most exciting, The Tunnel is a trip. Full Review

Michael O'Sullivan
August 18, 2005
Michael O'Sullivan, Washington Post

It's so well told that you'll be biting your nails until the film's final few minutes. Full Review

Jonathan Curiel
June 10, 2005
Jonathan Curiel, San Francisco Chronicle

Based on a true story from the late 1950s, this thrilling drama looks at the extraordinary lengths taken by a group of West Berliners to dig a tunnel under the city's barbed-wire border with East Berlin. Full Review

Lou Lumenick
April 29, 2005
Lou Lumenick, New York Post

Director Roland Suso Richter maintains tension for 2 1/2 hours, even though the resolution is almost surreal.

Elizabeth Weitzman
April 29, 2005
Elizabeth Weitzman, New York Daily News

Richter's brisk direction keeps us riveted through the suspenseful finish of his vivid history lesson. Full Review

Laura Kern
April 28, 2005
Laura Kern, New York Times

Roland Suso Richter's darkly atmospheric film recounts the effort of a group of people to dig a tunnel under the Berlin Wall. Full Review

Matt Singer
April 26, 2005
Matt Singer, Village Voice

It's distressing to learn how much German television looks like a Jerry Bruckheimer movie. Full Review

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