Most critics praise Das Boot for making the cramped conditions aboard a German U-boat central to its tension. The reviews repeatedly single out the sound, camerawork and physical detail, with the depth-charge sequences drawing particular praise for conveying the crew’s vulnerability and the chaos of war. Several also value the film’s compassion: its attention to men working under pressure gives the action human weight, while the captain’s performance receives specific recognition.
The reservations concern the writing more than the technical execution, and the responses range from enthusiastic praise to qualified approval. Time Out admires the claustrophobic spectacle but finds the anti-war ironies trite, while Radio Times praises the action camerawork yet considers the characters beyond the captain underdeveloped. The main disagreement is therefore about how much the film achieves beyond suspense: its humanity and anti-war stance persuade most critics, but not all.