- 2014
- Music Box Films
- 3 h
SummaryRespected senior surgeon Richard Hoffmann, his wife Anne, and their teenage son Christian live in suburban Dresden in 1982 when the cracks in the repressive police state’s façade are beginning to surface. Despite the restrictions, the educated few still enjoy some advantages under the system. The Hoffmans gather often with family and friends for...
Directed By:Christian Schwochow
Written By:Thomas Kirchner, Uwe Tellkamp
The Tower
Metascore
Generally Favorable
61
User score
Available after 4 ratings
tbd
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Metascore
Generally Favorable
61
50% Positive
2 Reviews
2 Reviews
50% Mixed
2 Reviews
2 Reviews
0% Negative
0 Reviews
0 Reviews
Jan 19, 2017
88
It’s not a gimmick if it works, and “Tower” works unnervingly well. The film is essentially an oral history, with firsthand accounts from those who were there — survivors, responders, and onlookers — with their words read by younger actors.
Nov 7, 2014
75
At its best, The Tower shows what life felt like to those who lived at that singular time, to those who dozed "pitifully and apathetically" in an unchanging political system before the rules changed, seemingly overnight.
Nov 6, 2014
50
In its stunted theatrical version, the second half is a sketchy digest of events that leaves you feeling cheated.
Nov 3, 2014
50
As the psychology of the characters hardly connects with their distinctive milieu, the film merely suggests a conventional family drama littered with empty pot-shots at governmental authority.
User score
Available after 4 ratings
tbd
0% Positive
0 Ratings
0 Ratings
100% Mixed
1 Rating
1 Rating
0% Negative
0 Ratings
0 Ratings
Mar 12, 2026
4
A towering inferno of predictable clichés: A 2.0-star disaster flick that burns through its potential.121225 (2.0)I watched this in the theater in 2012. While it attempted to replicate the tension of classic **** disaster films with a modern Korean twist, the result felt largely derivative. The impressive visual effects of the burning luxury tower were unfortunately overshadowed by a barrage of overused tropes and forced emotional beats. Much like the disaster film "2012," it prioritized spectacle over a meaningful story. A mediocre 2.0 for a high-rise fire that failed to spark much genuine interest.
Report
Production Company:
- teamWorx Television & Film
- Mitteldeutscher Rundfunk (MDR)
- ARD Degeto Film
- Norddeutscher Rundfunk (NDR)
- Bayerischer Rundfunk (BR)
- Westdeutscher Rundfunk (WDR)
- Südwestrundfunk (SWR)
- Rundfunk Berlin-Brandenburg (RBB)
Release Date:Nov 7, 2014
Duration:3 h
Genres:
Awards
German Television Awards
• 5 Nominations
Bavarian TV Awards
• 1 Win & 3 Nominations
Grimme Award
• 2 Wins & 2 Nominations
