Bob Stone

Just viewed the DIRECTOR’S CUT of DAS BOOT on Blueray. I viewed it in anticipation of seeing the “greatest sub movie ever made.” I AM NOT impressed. Perhaps it is due to it being the director’s cut or should I say UNCUT. It seems that every scene that was originally deleted has now been included no matter how irrelevant or drawn out. Apparently every clip of deleted film had been picked up from the cutting room floor and re-edited back in. The runtime is over 3 hours with little action in relation to seemingly endless, unnecessary scenes of dialogue. Right from the opening sequence of the party which added nothing to the plot, to endless scenes of irrelevant conversations, to the ship’s officers eating dinner, to the crew putting on a crossdressing burlesque show, to the ship’s medic examining the crew for the crabs. I am not sure where all of the positive reviews are coming from. This film was touted as being the greatest sub movie ever made. Perhaps the original cut of the film is where all of the positive reviews came from but I just don’t see it…at least with the director’s cut.