I got this movie in a video store bargain bin as an used copy. The cover was appealing as i am interested in WW2 and i like boxing as well. Then it was in my shelve for a while as i was intending to watch it with my cousin who likes both subject as well. But then at some point i decided to watch it anyway, and realize it was sporting the name of ... UWE BOLL on it. Oh boy... i decided to put it in the shelve and include it in my next pawnshop movie sell(i do that once in a while as i buy pretty much all my movies used in video store, i don't rent much and i hate video on demand) So as i was making my movie pile for the pawnshop, i decided i should at least give it a go, after all, my Boll hate comes mostly from him destroying video game licences and i actually did enjoy Rampage.The movie is in German, but i choose to watch it English dubbed. I am not a fan of English dubbed, but i tough it was rather OK in this, the voices didn't bother me too much. I come from a french province so i am used to french dubbing, but not English ones. Anyway yes the acting was so-so, but not that bad. I could get into the movie. I think his boxing years where pretty well done, the fights whee numerous and entertaining, i was actually surprised. I think the war segments and how the Nazis saw him could had been way better done, but then again it was not the point of the movie per say.Overall i am surprised... its a decent movie, even tough its made to by Boll. Got to give credit where its due, I'm sure if the movie would had been dubbed in french i would had even more fun watching it. There is nothing spectacular but the movie don't feel too cheap or whatever and i didn't knew Max Schmelling at all, so now i want to look him up on wikipedia.So yeah, i liked the movie. Will i keep it or pawnshop it? I dunno yet, it was way better than expected.

I enjoyed this movie because it related the struggles of a man who was first a good sport and a gentleman. He was a boxer but not a violent person. While that might sound like a contradiction, in his case he was a gentleman who had no hostility toward anyone unless they were in the boxing ring. Out of the ring he truly cared for people. He may actually have been a bit naive where it came to understanding the Nazi mindset. It almost cost him his life. He managed to be himself through the whole Nazi reign of terror and eventually became an asset to his homeland which was in great need of healing after the war.The proof that he cared for others is in the fact he rescued a father and sons during the kristallnacht event. And after his death he left his entire estate to charity. It was a sizable sum as he was a notable business man with Coca-Cola in Germany. His mansion is now the embassy for the Libyan ambassador.The acting was not on Oscar level, but that didn't ruin the movie for me. I rented the DVD for the story and it did a good job of delivering that. As someone with ancestry from Germany I take heart in the fact there were many Germans who did not support the Nazis. They are given very little notice which is to me, most unfair. My ancestors came to America in 1732, the sons married all German descent wives until my father married my Irish mother in 1945. So I have a great deal of German background.I will confess it was the title that caught my eye at the rental place. I wanted to learn what this movie had to say about a man who became a hero to his homeland.There was so much turmoil during Max's life. It pleases me to learn he became successful after the war. He was a thoughtful and generous man known to help others. He stayed friendly toward Joe Louis and even arranged meetings and later helped Joe get a respectful burial.Max's clean life style and generosity toward others paid well. He lived to be a ripe old 99.I rated this movie a 7 not due to the acting, it wasn't as bad as some suggest, but rather because it did a good job of telling the story of a man who remained true to self and did not bend to those who he knew were wrong.

I found this to be a very enjoyable movie indeed and in sharp contrast to the stinging comments made about the movie generally. Yes it is essentially a Boxing movie with a Nazi War theme but there is no blood, minimal violence, no bad language, no offending sex scenes and everything in the film, given the nature of the storyline to do with Nazis, is done in very good taste.True, it is not a great film and I do not think the director ever intended it. He may have intended a personal message with the film and expressed a love of boxing and also of a German Boxing icon.Max Schmeling was a respected fighter both before and after the War. Whether he was a Nazi or not is a concern or issue for the film and there are no scenes I recall in the film which show Schmeling in direct contact with anyone acting as Adolf Hitler. His respect for Joe Louis is humbling.He lived a long life and was successful in business. He has stood the test of life in ways that modern boxing icons such as Bruno, Bugner, Tyson and even Mohammed Ali have not.Max Schmeling had a Jewish manager and married a Czech woman. There is nothing about the film which could possibly give offence to a German or anybody else unless they were looking to be offended.Yes the storyline is simplistic enough, there is no dwelling on Max Schmelings involvement in the war or on the exact nature of how he suffered injury and near death in the war. Enough to vaguely refer to it and not wonder more.Remember the film is for entertainment and is not a documentary. If the latter then some of the films other comments will be more relevant.

If only someone could have stopped him earlier.Max Schmeling was a hero and an icon in every sense of the word. He straddled the ethical and moral line as best any German citizen could have during a time of almost unimaginable social and political chaos. In the midst of a dark cloud surrounding Nazi Germany, Schmeling was the last, best hope for a moderate, admiring view of the eastern European nation.Given his status and continuing popularity among Germans and boxing fans worldwide, one has to wonder how it came to pass that "director" (and this term is used quite loosely) Uwe Bolle (as executive producer) managed to foist his latest fiasco on audiences in the guise of a movie about the life and times of one of the world's premiere athletes. "Mak Schmeling, Fist of the Reich" can best be described as "Max Schmeling: F_sting the Reich." Not since Uncle Adolph himself has one man done so much to offend so many.Low on plot points, completely lacking in style and pace and heavy on pretentiousness, "Max Schmeling" is the logical follow-up to Bolle's "Blubberella" as an homage to out-takes strung together in the guise of a movie. "Star" Henry Maske's debut as the iconic heavyweight champion should mark the fastest decent into disaster since the Hindenberg. He is wooden and talentless in the lead role of Schmelling, and speaks most eloquently when saying absolutely nothing. There is little positive to say about this movie; I won't bore you with the less than stellar specifics.