Not to be confused with Eric Steel’s 2006 documentary about people who commit suicide by jumping off San Francisco’s Golden Gate Bridge, this ‘The Bridge’ (aka ‘Die Brücke’) is a made-for-TV remake of Bernhard Wicki’s Oscar-nominated 1959 film. Based on a real-life story, it follows a group of 16-year-old boys in World War II Germany, who are pulled out of school by the Nazis to defend their village against American forces. Their job is to guard the village’s bridge.
The film never seems to make up its mind whether to be an adrenaline-charged thriller or a sombre drama. Early on, we get a heightened, fast-paced (and poorly directed) action sequence in which student Walter (Lars Steinhofel) and teacher Elfie (Franka Potente) run from a bullet-spewing American plane before having a tumble in the hay, which jars a bit with the measured, moody tone elsewhere. And while it’s not a particularly subtle film, the restraint it does possess is more or less abandoned later, during the unrealistic battle sequences.
No performances stand out: Potente doesn’t have much to do except look anguished; the kids all look suitably wide-eyed and freaked out but we never really get under their skin. The script doesn’t give much time to character development, so it’s not a particularly insightful or rewarding experience.
It’s a serviceable but rather colourless portrayal of wartime events. There’s certainly not much to differentiate it from the tons of other films set in Nazi Germany. If you’re considering buying a recent World War II-themed film on DVD, I’d recommend instead Robert Guédiguian’s Army of Crime (2009), which focuses on the underground French resistance, or better still Michael Haneke’s extraordinary account of the origins of fascism in 1910s Germany, The White Ribbon (2009).
Overall Verdict: Intermittently interesting, but generally lifeless and unmemorable.
Special Features:
None
Reviewer: Tom René