Dobermann

Dobermann is a movie about losing control. And it is probably the most violent movie one can rent at the videoclub. The violence is raw and both the cops and thieves are psychos.

A lot of scenes are very strong. Like this one where a cop is eating his sandwich while watching a pimp beating a hooker...

Don't be fooled by people who say that this movie is a copycat of 'Natural Born Killer'. Such comments are sadly narrow-minded. Dobermann is a chef-d'oeuvre and does not relate to any other movie. It is indeed very stylish and does no try to lecture the spectator.

"Dobermann", effectively, is a movie with no live characters in it. Not one.

What it does have is walking cartoons. Two-dimensional and blatantly unbelievable ones (e.g the psycho preacher, straight out of a 60'ies spaghetti-western). That, and bloody mayhem!

The set-pieces, (a bank-robbery, a shoot-em-up in a nightclub and the final car-chase) are excellent for those who like their action-movies splattered with gore and a loud techno-track. Beware, though, there are stretches of boredom in between. Of special note is the grossly unpleasant scene where Christini tortures "Sonia"'s family. It includes a baby being thrown across the room, and later being given a hand-grenade as a toy. This didn't endear "Dobermann" to the Norwegian critics! It was not shown in Oslo as a result of the regional cinema-director considering the movie devoid of interest and much, much too violent.

Which it is.

The plot is simple, Dobermann and band of bank robbers are hunted by the police as they plan and execute a robbery. What they don't count on is that a crazed policeman is on their tail and will stop at nothing to stop them. The dialog is witty, the film making flashy, and the violence is brutal. So why don't I like this more? Lets face it this film exists simply to look cool and so the film makers could shoot things. The film looks great and the gunfights and the action sequences are mind blowing, the problem is that despite some witty dialog the film is rather dull when things aren't being blown up. I got to a point where I was reaching for the remote to get to speed to the next bit of action. Thats not a good sign.

Should you see this movie? If you like big action sequences with lots of guns blazing, absolutely. You might also want to check this out to see one of the great screen villains as represented by the crazed cop who is hunting the gang. He will stop at nothing to get his man including giving a grenade to a baby.

6 out of 10, great action and style takes the place of plot and character development.

...but you more or less could have figured that out if you had taken a look at the film's trailer. What you may not be prepared for is the fact that the first 40 or 50 minutes of the film are surprisingly dull and far from action-packed. Things do pick up in the second half, and by the time we get to the final confrontation between Dobermann and the Nazi cop Christini (arguably the most repugnant cop in the history of movies) the violence finally has the kick that it should have had all along. (**)

Dobermann is one of the best 'live action comic books' ever made, IMO. The characters, the cinematography, the dialogue and the violence all have the comic book 'feel' - ultra-stylised and larger than life, and full of very black humour.

The movie is basically a heist movie, with Dobermann himself (Vince Cassell) and his band of unlikely partners plotting a robbery, and pulling it off... but getting bad-ass cop Cristini (Tcheky Karyo) on their tale for their troubles.

The movie is exceptionally well done - clearly a lot of love went into it from director Jan Kounen and from the cast. Some of the camera work is utterly unique and stunning, and the performances all round are excellent. Tcheky Karyo is particularly memorable - his role in KISS OF THE DRAGON was basically his DOBERMANN character watered down to about 1%. Dobermann himself is perhaps the least well developed character, remaining pretty detached and enigmatic throughout.

There's lots of sharp dialogue and bits of absurdity that will obviously draw comparisons to Tarantino. This all leads to some action setpieces that are very very nicely done, including a stunning and extended climax.

This is the 3rd time I've watched the movie, and I enjoy it more each time. Watched it at work last night with a pretty large group, and couldn't help wondering if it was a movie that showed cultural differences between the US and Europe. The Europeans & even a Canadian in the room were sat grinning from ear to ear from start to finish, all loving it... but the Americans in the room just didn't seem to 'get it' at all. They all seemed to be taking it much too seriously, and struggling terribly with the idea of an "anti-hero". The fact that Dobermann has killed an innocent man before he speaks his first line of dialogue seemed to give them trouble. Perhaps this is a European thing, along with the black humour. The difference in response between the Americans and the rest really was noticable.

But, perhaps it's just a coincidence - and some people from any country are always going to miss the point on these things. If you like your heroes dirty, your characters about 3 times larger than life, your camera restless, your dialogue cynical and vicious and your violence explosive... then Dobermann is a wonderful movie you should definitely track down.