7 Uwe Boll Movies That Don’t Suck

Much maligned German filmmaker Uwe Boll announces retirement and we look at some of his movies that are actually really good

Much has been written lately about the life and times of Dr. Uwe Boll, the larger-than-life producer/director who made his millions by making a series of German/Canadian genre films, most of them adaptations of beloved video game franchises. Early titles like House of the Dead and Alone in the Dark, sadly sealed Boll’s fate with the cinema press and gamers alike and with good reason as, by contemporary genre film standards, they just weren’t very good. A big part of the problem with those early pictures was that Boll was trying to make what he thought was a commercial horror or science fiction film but something literally seemed lost in translation. That, and the fact that Boll is an ace producer but was still trying to to find his footing as a director.

So the world dumped on Boll. Lots. I did too. In fact, I was one of the 4 people who actually fought Boll in a highly publicized boxing match stunt dubbed “Raging Boll”. You can read all about that battle here. And yeah, I lost. But I learned to like Boll. I spent plenty of time with him post-match and instead of the loud-mouthed, defensive Teutonic cartoon he had positioned himself as, I learned that Boll – who is indeed a Doctor – was rather brilliant. An eccentric, yes. Maybe even a bit too under pressure for his own good. But a man who literally knew everything about film. About world cinema. About horror and fantasy movies. A man passionate about the medium he had devoted his life to and both confused and hurt by the endless viral abuse he was getting ad nauseum.

I talked to Boll recently, a chat spurred on by the announcement that after the release of his latest film Rampage 3: President Down, Boll has giving up on making movies.

“When the German money dried up, everything changed,” Boll told me.

“I had to start using my own money to make my movies and the world of making these kind of movies and exhibiting them was changing. When Blockbuster died and the industry changed and everything became Netflix and Hulu, there was no money to be made by making the kind of movies I was making. I’m tired. I’m going to just run my restaurant and my company stop directing. I’m too old now. I don’t have it in me.”

And though many journos are making sport of this “farewell tour”, I hope it’s not really goodbye for Boll. Cinema needs more two-fisted wild-men like Boll, people with guts and passion and – for better or for worse – aren’t afraid to speak their mind.

“Critics always were so mean to my films. Even the serious ones, the ones I put so much of myself into, they just never gave them a chance. All the bad reviews and bad press. And because I was always trapped in the same B-level zone, I could never afford a big actor to push my films into that next level.”

Indeed, amongst Boll’s middling to lousy genre quickies, the man made a series of rather excellent and often very personal and political movies that got lost in the shuffle, unfairly.

Here then, amidst the 33 movies directed by the man, are 7 really good Uwe Boll movies that might just make you change your mind about those things you thought and said about Boll. You don’t need to step into a boxing ring to work out that negativity. Just give these flicks a chance…

Tunnel Rats (2007)

Boll's first genre film to garner some reluctant good reviews, Tunnel Rats is a fact based tale that was largely improvised by its solid B movie cast, giving the film an authentic sense of realism. As a Vietnam film, it's still miles away from Platoon, but it shows Boll in charge of his craft and exemplifies his knowledge and understanding of cinema.

Postal (2007)

Boll's riotous, wildly politically incorrect gonzo splatter comedy uses the popular game as a springboard for an all out attack on good taste and an extended middle finger to his detractors. Not all of it works, but when it's funny, it's very, VERY funny. And rude. And wrong. And funny.

Rampage (2009)

A darker cousin to Postal, Rampage tells the Falling Down-on-crack tale of a shlub who has had enough, dons a riot gear suit of armor and murders literally everyone and everything he sees. Allegorical, blackly funny and unflinching, this is Boll at his angriest and most cinematic. Rightfully well-regarded, even by hardcore anti Boll-ites.

Darfur (2009)

Boll is an incredibly political and "plugged in" person and Darfur (aka Attack on Darfur) just might be his volatile masterpiece. In it, a group of Journalists risk their lives to save some innocent villagers from an organized militia attack. Gorgeously shot, impressively acted and wrenching, the film won awards and acclaim. But again, mainstream press largely ignored the movie because of Boll's name. A damn shame, that. See it for yourself.

Max Schmeling (2010)

Also released under the exploitative title Fist of the Reich, Max Schmeling is an earnest biopic made for the German market about '30s boxer Schmeling who defied the Nazis and became a champion. A solid story, well-directed and the bold decision to cast a boxer, not an actor, in the lead once more exemplifies Boll's ability to take risks and tell the stories he wants to tell.

Bloodrayne: The Third Reich (2010)

Boll's thrid kick at the Bloodrayne can is the best of the lot, a berserk bit of Nazisploitation that showcases Natassia Malthe's impressive physique and presence. In it, Rayne battles Hitler's droogs and accidentally turns a Nazi (Boll regular Michael Pare) into a vampire. Tons of weird action and arch performances make this one a lowbrow blast. If Boll's name wasn't on it, many horror fans would have probably embraced the picture.

Auschwitz (2011)

Boll tried to pry himself out of the genre film ghetto with this "message" movie, a pseudo-doc/apology aimed to shock young German teens and Holocaust deniers into submission. Framed by footage of Boll himself explaining the point of the picture, the middle section of Auschwitz is a hideous ballet of re-enacted atrocities. The effect is unpleasant and disturbing and that's the point. A flawed movie but a brave one.

Do you think we’ve heard the last of Uwe Boll? Do you think his work is worth a closer, more serious-minded look? Let us know your thoughts in the comments below…

 

 

The post 7 Uwe Boll Movies That Don’t Suck appeared first on ComingSoon.net.