For any fans of the war film genre, Wolfgang Petersen’s 1982 film DAS BOOT was just digitally remastered for Blu-ray. I now own both the original and the new director’s cut. If you own, the original, I still recommend looking into it. If you own neither or haven’t seen it, do yourself a favor and watch the film. You won’t be disappointed. LA Times has called it “the most convincing war movie ever made.”

I suspect there’s at least a handful of fellow fans in here, but just in case you’re not familiar with the film, here’s a brief description:

Set in 1942 during World War Two’s Battle of the Atlantic, German subs are engaging English shipping vessels in hopes to dwindle the supplies & support. The Germans are severely outmatched by the English’s more advanced escorts, proving victory to be a difficult task. DAS BOOT focuses on the actions of one such U-Boat, but also delves deeper into the sociological and psychological implications of the U-Boat’s environment. This multi dimensional aspect of the film, coupled with the intensity of being confined to a submarine, is what makes it so remarkably intense and interesting. If you’re a fan of war films, or you consider yourself a film buff, Das Boot is a must-see. I mean, it hasn’t receive 6 Oscar nominations and decades of acclaim for no reason at all! ; )

*And fyi, the Blu-ray extras are incredible. Bonus features include:

-  full commentary with Wolfgang Peters
-  extensive documentary footage from filming in 1981
-  overviews of the control and captain’s room, and then some.