Fun premise, good actors, bad writing. This film seemed to have potential at the beginning but it quickly devolves into a trite action film. Ultimately it's very boring.

I didn’t really have many expectations going into the movie (good or bad), but I actually really enjoyed it. I really liked the characters and the banter between them.

This is one of the best movies I’ve seen in a very long time. You have to go and see this on the big screen.

A terrific literary drama and character piece that shows how the process of creating art can be seen differently by those doing it and those looking at it from the outside.

I very much liked the fact that this movie is not just one of the many that show the historical facts of that period and the general effects on the population, which just to be clear is very right and honorable for a film. Instead this one has the credit of showing the effects of Nazism, intended more as a social movement rather than a political one, on the daily life of "normal people", and overall on friendship. We can observe the relationship between Thomas and Peter slowly change throughout the movie, slowly but inexorably. That is the point of the film, to show how it is possible that one can change his behavior without even realizing it, and become someone they've always hated, just following aligning to an ideology. Another important aspect of human nature which is brought up in the movie is the selfishness that rises when someone doesn't feel safe; it's the case of Thomas, who starts to not care anymore about his friend Arvid and attacks him just because he's been taught so and he knows that, doing so, he will be in a safe place. Peter, on the other side, at a point realizes he can't take it anymore and he reacts and heads upstream, whatever this choice may involve. This movie shows perfectly how ideologies work from an intimate perspective, and it also represents a wake-up call for people to open their eyes and think about what is really important and valuable in life.

I'll probably get a drubbing for this and a ton of "not helpful" votes, but I thought this movie was godawful! As well intentioned as it might have been (showing a different aspect of conditions in Nazi Germany) this production lacked so much as a wisp of authenticity. Acting was unconvincing, especially by the usually reliable Barbara Hershey and the no-lips Kenneth Branagh. It didn't help that some actors tried to adopt a German accent while others didn't bother to stray from San Fernando Valley English. The subject matter should generate empathy rather than stifled giggles, but blame that on the script and direction. This movie does not belong in the same category as films such as "The Pawnbroker," "The Diary of Anne Frank," "The Shop on Main Street," "Schindler's List," "Sophie's Choice," which cover a wide swath of proximate territory with far more verisimilitude and profundity.

"What are you rebelling against Johnny?......"Whatta ya got?…...The Wild One (1953)Youth, as implied above will most Likely Rebel against Anything because it's in Their Nature. But in the 1930's and 1940's Germany's Youth Really had Something to Oppose. Of course that was Hitler and Everything Repressive that National Socialism and the Nazi Party Stood for. They took Their Love for American Jazz and Swing and Adopted its Music, Clothes, Speech, and General Liberal Lifestyle and Flaunted in the Faces of the Tyrannical Establishment. This Infuriated the Police State. There was much Energy Employed to Eradicate this "Decadent" Behavior.This Underrated Sleeper is a Beautifully Shot Film about these Ugly Events and is a Fairly Accurate Account of the Kids and Their "Movement". It Showcases a rather Unknown Subculture in German History that was on the Fringe and in its Own Way did its Part to Oppose the Ever Increasing Evil that Exploded into a World War. This Movie Captures that Spirit and is an Excellent and Welcomed Look Back at an Underground Scene that is not well known. In doing so it Entertains with a Rhythm of Dance and Song that Compliments and Caresses the Cause.As Usual, the Kids were Right. Just like the Counter-Culture of the Vietnam Era and to a Lesser Extent the Early Rock n' Rollers of the 1950's. In the 1960's the Evil was The Nam, in the 1950's like the Biker in The Wild One, and of course James Dean, it was just The Establishment. There's going to be Youth Rebellion even Without a Cause, but in the 30's and 40's there Never was a Better One. Swing Heil...Rip it Up...For What it's Worth...God Save the Queen...To this Day the Beat Goes On.

I've read some of the reviews and feel I need to give a history lesson to some of them. This was 1938-1939. The Nazis hadn't gone berzerk with the killing of Jews and Gypsys etc. They may have been doing it in secret, but it wasn't common knowledge. That being said, the attempts to "cleanse" their society was indeed in full swing. *pardon the pun. They wanted nothing to do with outside influence, the training of the next generation was Hitler's plan. The HJ were to be the next generation of leaders, policemen, and general authority figures.Youth will rebel, it seems they always do to some degree. That's what these kids were doing. The movie is a very small view of what was going on. It's not the big picture.... it's basically Peter's struggle with who he is, who his father was, and his immediate environment. You can't really say the movie isn't accurate, because none of you is Peter.I love the movie. I love the music and the heart Peter puts into it. He loves the music... as he loved his father. And the Nazis tried to take both of them.