U-235 - Dive to Survive - DVD

Movie: When it is revealed that Hitler has ordered the construction of a new weapon of mass destruction, the Allies are determined to stay one step ahead of the Germans. For this reason, a small group of resistance fighters are to use a captured Nazi submarine to transport a large shipment of uranium from the Congo to the United States. A veritable suicide mission, they are to be led to success with the assistance of a captured German U-boat commander. But it is not long before they are discovered and hunted down without mercy. And now the completely inexperienced squad must descend into the depths of the ocean to stand even a hint of a chance of surviving this impossible mission.

With "U-235 - Dive to Survive", Sven Huybrechts has delivered a compelling directorial debut. It is one of the most expensive productions in Belgian cinema history, for which an entire submarine was even recreated. However, the attention to detail is only one of the reasons why the film works. Especially at the beginning, Huybrechts goes for a more blackly humorous tone, obviously inspired by Tarantino's "Inglourious Basterds". The war film based on true events can not reach its class, but a very high entertainment value can be built up.

In the course of the story, the whole thing turns more and more into a solid submarine thriller with successful moments of suspense, which can convince through a claustrophobic atmosphere and purposefully used action elements. However, this doesn't apply to all aspects of the story. For instance, flashbacks feature "Das Boot" star Martin Semmelrogge in a role that was clearly inspired by the character that earned Christoph Waltz an Oscar in Tarantino's film. As good as Semmelrogge may have been in Wolfgang Petersen's submarine classic, here he is rather miscast and seems oddly out of place given the cruelty of his character.

However, it must also be said that the scenes in which Semmelrogge does appear are nonetheless intense and important to the plot. They also contribute to the fact that "U-235 - Abtauchen, um zu überleben" is overall exciting and entertaining despite some minor weak points. If you like "U-571"-style submarine thrillers and black-humored war movies, you should definitely give this one a look. Worth seeing!

Picture + Sound: The image of the DVD convinces with a good detail sharpness, which also in the many darker sequences only slightly loses quality. Also in terms of color and contrast matching prevails a positive overall impression. The Dolby Digital 5.1 mix brings out the atmospheric soundscape within the submarine very well, but at the same time also transports the dialogue powerfully from the speakers. Good!

Extras: Unfortunately, there is no bonus material on the DVD.

Conclusion: "U-235 - Dive to Survive" is a mix of claustrophobic submarine thriller and blackly humorous war film. It doesn't always work, but overall offers a pleasantly high level of entertainment and suspense. The DVD presents the Belgian production in good picture and sound quality, bonus material is unfortunately sought in vain. Overall, a clear case of: Recommendable!

The film is now also available as VoD!

An article by Frankfurt-Tipp