Duisburg - Linea di sangue

A TV film by the Italian broadcaster RAI that has made it into the program of the global streaming service NETFLIX! It is about the notorious Mafia murders in Duisburg, which deeply shocked the whole of Germany on Ferragosto (15 August) 2007. The German TV actor Benjamin SADLER plays a German investigator who, together with his colleague (Daniele LIOTTI) from Reggio di Calabria, is able to solve the case after several years. It becomes clear how the Mafia benefits from family connections. In addition, it has long since outgrown Calabria and Italy. The film is a typical TV production, but it benefits from the exciting topic and the explosive event.

Everything screams out "no budget", from the low-key locations to the banal photography. The "strange couple" of cops has been done a thousand times before, the lead female overacts like crazy as the wife of a "malavitoso" and the only message one gets is that it's better to stay away from Italian restaurants abroad because the owner may be mixed up with criminal organisations.

The plot is there and since it's a true story it's helping, but production is very bad as if shot in mobile. Could be done in a better way and actors are weak.

To be fair, most of us do associate countries with certain things. One of the things you probably associate Italy with is Spaghetti and Pizza (which is kind of funny considering where those things were actually invented, but it only goes to show you, that we sometimes only touch the surface). Another thing we do think of is the mafia.

Cliches that are being put on display here - but they are also being talked about. A good thing then - seeing through things and being able to distinguish. This will not be a philosophical movie though. This is a thriller - and murder (they wrote/commited). Decent enough even if it may fail to really be great overall.

The movie would have been better if it weren't so many mistakes. At one point a woman arrives in Amsterdam and walks to a parking garage. Only everything is written in Greek. Uniforms of the Dutch police are incorrect, they wear Belgian police hats. And so many more mistakes.