So weit die Füße tragen

I was surprised at how little emotion there was in the film, and how unrealistic it seemed at times. I give it both thumbs up for the bridge encounter, but otherwise no big deal. All the time I was wondering what it would be like if As Far as My Feet Will Carry Me was made by, say, J. J. Annaud, who would have made full use of the Siberian panoramas, their fauna and flora, and especially the mind of the protagonist teetering on the edge of sanity and madness. And maybe he could have forgiven the unnecessary insertions with the waiting family. Almost 2.5 hours of boredom. (2011.06.05)

A criminally unbalanced picture with enormous potential in the true life story it’s based on. Unfortunately, the filmmakers only managed to exploit a small portion of that potential. Here and there we get some powerful moments, but the framing of the plot with the dogged pursuer or with the German idyllic village is so poorly crafted that in these moments it stoops to the level of a German TV series the likes of Der Bergdoktor. Additionally, the movie, especially after the escape, is too long and As Far as My Feet Will Carry Me loses all its energy. Fortunately, as a whole, it doesn't feel so bad, and at least it's an average movie, although I'd rather see the story presented as a documentary, rather than a routinely shot movie with a lot of “ifs and buts". (2007.02.13)

I don't want to diminish the reality on which the film was based, but the man deserves a much more significant commemoration. I also don't consider Bauer's book to be perfect. It is only a very simple literary (therefore very readable for the ordinary consumer) story about one superhuman feat. In the parts where the writer scores points with his gripping description of the extreme situations Clemens Forell finds himself in, the screenwriter either misses the mark, or the director fails. From the plot, which is totally castrated by the most thrilling moments and those that are relatively attractive for the audience, the director wasn't able to draw more than single images, without any emotional connections. Forell wanders, experiencing moments of suspense, fear, and action, but overall, he’s stuck in a roundabout effect that points to the only possible ending. Moreover, that moment becomes (starting with the bridge crossing) the only real moment, despite its creeping kitschiness, that doesn't chill and can be believed. The Germans had to wait until Downfall to have their major film. (2007.05.15)

As Far as My Feet Will Carry Me relies on a strong story and an unusual perspective and contains several interesting and powerful scenes. On the other hand, it suffers from script imbalance, and excessive duration (the film should have been at least half an hour shorter or made as a miniseries). The ending is also problematic, and I am by no means the first to argue that the film should have ended with a confrontation at the border. Personally, what bothers me the most is that this German film significantly diminishes German responsibility for unleashing the war and the unbelievable massacres that occurred on the Eastern Front and in occupied territories. It is part of German war myths that, to a considerable extent, have been accepted by Western public opinion thanks to the Cold War, that only special units, primarily the SS, were responsible for the massacres and persecution of civilians. In reality, the field units of the Wehrmacht were also permeated with racism and callousness, with the 6th Army and the occupying units in Belarus being particularly brutal. The Soviets did not treat captured Germans kindly, and the conditions in prisoner camps were harsh, with many prisoners not surviving. However, these conditions were still much better than in German concentration camps, where Soviet captives ended up. This film trivializes German guilt and relativizes crimes against humanity. Furthermore, some of the script motifs are naive or superficially handled. Overall impression: 55%. (2008.10.20)

It's more like a 3 and a half, with an emotionally and cinematically perfectly executed opening hour that is replaced by a more boring and surprisingly unoriginal part that falls a bit short of the set standard. You'll certainly root for the fugitive Forell, and you'll loathe the peace-loving Russian comrades, but that it will make the viewers chew their nails with suspense while watching it, not really. This ambitious war drama, which relies on portraying the perseverance and love of the good guys and the cruelty and pettiness of the bad guys instead of a flurry of action, isn’t quite there yet, despite its best efforts. (2012.05.26)