DbcultAccessing Vault...
6.9/10
Senior Film Conservator
A definitive 6.9/10 rating for a film that redefined the boundaries of cult cinema. Tugboat M 17 remains a cornerstone of transgressive art.
Should you watch Tugboat M 17? Honestly, only if you have a thing for old German river dramas or just really want to see Heinrich George look grumpy for ninety minutes. If you’re looking for a fast-paced thriller or something light, you’re going to be bored out of your mind. It’s heavy, it’s slow, and it smells like wet rope and regret.
The movie starts out simple enough. We’re on a boat. The river is wide. Henner is just a guy trying to get his work done with his wife and kid nearby. It’s almost peaceful until they hit Berlin, and then the movie decides it needs to be about the tragedy of being human or something equally exhausting.
Betty Amann shows up as Gescha, and you know immediately that nothing good is going to happen. She’s got that look—you know the one—where the character is just walking trouble. The way the film handles the inevitable betrayal is… well, it’s a bit blunt. It doesn't really try to be subtle about it.
There’s a scene where they’re just sitting in a small room, and the tension is so thick you could cut it with a dull knife. It goes on way too long. I found myself checking how much time was left on the player. Sometimes these older films just don't know when to let the silence end.
It’s funny how different this feels compared to something like The Sign of Four. That one has a whole different energy, obviously. Tugboat M 17 is much more about the internal rot of a man who thought he had his life figured out.
The cinematography is fine, I guess. Lots of shots of the river that make you wish you were actually out on a boat instead of watching one. The lighting inside the cabin is moody, sure, but it gets a bit repetitive. At one point, I realized I’d been staring at a flickering lamp for a solid minute.
The acting is definitely the main event here. Heinrich George isn’t trying to be charming. He’s playing a guy who is genuinely confused by his own desires. It’s not 'great acting' in the way critics usually mean it, but it feels honest. He looks tired, and I believe him.
Some moments just don't land. The emotional stakes feel a bit disconnected from the reality of living on a boat, if that makes sense. You can see the script straining to make these river people act like they're in a high-stakes Greek play. It’s a bit of a stretch.
Is it a masterpiece? No. Is it worth the time? Maybe, if you’re in the mood for something that doesn't care if you like it or not. It’s just there, floating down the river, carrying its own small, sad load.
IMDb 6.8
1919
Community
Log in to comment.
