Der letzte Zug

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.

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.

I do not think it is easy to make a movie that takes place for a large part in a railway wagon. And that's not a passenger coach, but a livestock wagon as was used by the SS to transport people - mostly jewish - to the concentration camps.

I also assume that each wagon will have its own stories, which are mostly about pain, hunger and death.

So I think it is a daring enterprise to produce a movie about exactly those things! Of course, it was impossible to fully load the wagon with people as happened in reality. Over 80 people would literally be pushed onto each other after which the door was closed. This is not what you see in this movie: i.e. There seems to be ample space.

But aside from that, I think they succeeded in portraying a grim atmosphere of how 'life' was during the few days locked up in such a wagon. Or maybe I should say 'death', because the conditions - often without food and water - were difficult to survive for the frail.

Overall, I think this movie is important because it will give the viewer an idea of those inhumane transports. It is an important part of history and it is a signal of how evil people can be to its own kind.

Concluding, I think this movie deserves a score of 7.1/10, making it a 7-star IMDb rating.

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.

The film is good, but somewhat sluggish. On the one hand something always happens, on the other — there's no sense of dynamics, nor feeling of hanging emotions. Music is not quite appropriate. It doesn't help enough, it's too subtle. Acting is good. May be not superb, but good enough to believe in characters. I suppose the main guilt for film being not excellent lies on director. For example, the scene with 'Ode to Joy' must have been made more dramatic, the acting there was (or could be) very good, so, the problem is in directing. May be my expectations were not right and the idea was to make one feel the ordinariness of evil. Nonetheless I want something more than just depiction of historical evil. And I see no answers, even no honestly stated questions. May be, though, my willing to get that questions is a good result of watching the film?