The Last Train

I saw this film in March 2008 in a unique ancient cinema (the small village of Nučice near Prague; there were dry toilets in that cinema!), which worked immensely in the film’s favor as it enhanced the atmosphere and bolstered my positive impression. What needs to be praised here is the intention of the creators to show the road to hell, when the other filmmakers show just the hell itself. The Last Train takes place on board a train heading to Auschwitz and ends with the arrival in hell, leaving the audience so horrified that they don’t need or want to proceed further. At the beginning, the film looks like the debut of a naïve director of theatrical comedies, but later it fortunately turns into a depressing drama, benefitting from a tense atmosphere and the time-proven appellation “this is how it really happened”. Too bad the film wasn’t able to make more of the individual characters. (03/17/2008)

This is one in a long series of films that attempt to convey the horror of the Holocaust to contemporary audiences. However, I certainly didn't feel like I was having an exceptional cinematic experience. Some of the reservations mentioned in the comments have a real basis. The film is a bit rough in places and some scenes look unnatural, and yet the foundation, i.e., the drama of people condemned to death, who are herded into cattle cars and die of thirst in tropical heat, still functions. The incident with the spilled bucket, the small dramas resulting from a lack of personal space, and clinging to futile hopes, are all powerful moments that make the film function decently, and the cast is certainly not bad. The film is most harmed by the fact that it was produced in a German setting and tries to justify the idea that many Germans thought differently and tried to "help and protect" however they could despite the repulsive nature of Nazism. That is why there is a scene where German soldiers returning from the eastern front share their supplies with a Jewish transport and even come into conflict with the guarding SS officers, risking a shootout with their commander. Anyone who has any idea about the intense indoctrination of anti-Semitism that the Wehrmacht was subjected to, the strong tradition of anti-Semitism even before the fascists came to power, the extent to which units in the east were involved in war crimes, the level of identification with the regime that existed in the army, and the draconian punishments for any cooperation with the enemy, can only laugh at such fantasy. Especially when they realize the strict discipline that service in the Wehrmacht demanded and the privileged position that the SS units held. No, not even my fondness for Dana Vávrová will lead me to give it four stars. Overall impression: 65%. (08/28/2017)