Knockin' on Heaven's Door

First of all, WHY HAS THIS FILM NOT BEEN RELEASED IN ENGLISH SPEAKING COUNTRIES??!! Is it because Hollywood is afraid of German films that are actually as good as theirs? Is it because this is a foreign film that isn't "foreign" enough (e.g. Bergmanesque symbolism or Wender's "poetic imagery") or is it because neither America nor Britain have the nerve to properly dub this film into English? In any case, the world is missing out. This is a highly entertaining film with a simple plot, lots of humor, plenty of action, and two terrific leads. The plot, regardless of how many people will compare it to "pulp fiction" (a comparrison, by the way, which I simply cannot understand,)is a straight-forward buddy flick about two terminally ill men in their early thirties. Like all buddy movies, (Lethal Weapan, 48 hours, Nothing to lose) the characters couldn't be more different at the beginning, and find a way to get along by the films end. Nothing new here, except for the fact that both men know they will be dead by the film's end, thus eliminating (thank goodness) any chance of a sequel. Anyway, our heroes meet in the hospital, and quickly decide that they want to really "live" their final days on earth, and see the ocean before they pass away. They steal a car which happens to belong to a dutch gangster (brief cameo by rutger hauer). Thus begins the chase across Germany and Holland, a chase which combines road-movie laughs a-la Dumb and Dumber (there is a VERY similiar scene where the two men find the suitcase filled with money, and check into a rediculously fancy hotel) with genuine character development and bonding, a-la Thelma and Louise.

The real star of the film is not the plot, but the little moments of genuine humor and tenderness between the leads. Director Thomas Jahn's balance between over-the-top action-comedy and emotional "cancer drama" is amazingly played out by the two actors (til schweiger and jan josef liefers)

I would recommend this film to ANYBODY who likes to be entertained. The music is great, the jokes (most of them, at least) fly, and the relationships are genuine. The only problem is probably that at this point, you have to speak German fluently to understand most of what's going on. BUT BE PATIENT! Someday Hollywood will discover this film and at least SUBTITLE it like they did the equally terrific(er) "lola rennt". My only hope is that they don't simply ruin the film by remaking it with american stars. That would be a great letdown, because this film is already perfect. I doubt that most people would even think it's foreign, if they simply forget the subtitles and get into it.

2 men who were sentenced to death by their doctors spent their precious remaining time together to experience something they never had chance to do before when they occasionally found a lot of money two stupid gangsters left.

This is a crazy comedy with good entertainment, and because we know the tragical end, so the highly contrast of the hilarious story really make me have a bittersweet feeling which is wonderful.

Their last wish is to see sea with their own eyes, a quite common wish but they never did before. We always think we have a lot of time to do things we want to do, but nobody knows what will happen tomorrow. We never have the courage to do something derailed from our normal track of life, and gradually lost the aim and fun of it, living numbly and waiting to the final destination.

The cast is good and I Love Til Schweiger so much, really a charming role! Moritz Bleibtreu is outstanding as one of the moron gangster too.

I rarely watch Germany comedic films, "Knockin' On Heaven's Door" is an exception even it might be too crazy for some people, still need a good recommendation.

As a german and former huge fan of actor til schweiger it was very important for me to see this movie when it was released in 1997. I wasn't disappointed at all, because this is probably one of the best movies ever. It is so entertaining because it is including a lot of humor (probably a lot of german humor), action and drama. Also very good is the performance of Moritz Bleibtreu, who became well-known, because of his great play of a turkish-german gangster. But this is ,as far as Im concerned, only funny for people who understand german very well.It would be quite nice for american people to watch a REALLY good german movie, that is better as some hollywood movies counted together. If you have the opinion to see it , use your chance!

The movie is great. Simply brilliant. Even if you try to retell the plot you'll miss the whole point, because this movie isn't about the chain of events - it's about the people, the characters, the life itself. There is not a single scene that falls out of the whole composition: even though the plot is not the key issue here, it still beautifully binds the whole story together, perfectly connecting all the dots. And have your tissues ready: no matter how many times I watch it I always cry at the end and I'm not usually very sentimental. As for my male friends who watched it with me several times they usually just stay very silent at the end. It is very emotional and overwhelming: both sad and somehow positive at the same time. I envy those who have not seen it and will watch it for the first time.

After watching the movie for 11th time i decided to share what i think of it.

It is simply great. By great i mean the idea that is (supposedly) very deep inside. Perhaps it's about the ultimate goal, that everyone has and hasn't got time to fulfill it, and when the moment comes that makes one understand 'now is the right time'. Sometimes it's too late, sometimes one never understands it is time to change something, but for those two, life was a success. Quoting matrix (kill me), it's the "free your mind" style, when all problems go away and you can do whatever you want to do. It's actually a very thrilling experience, and hope this movie can inspire someone to change something in the rhythm of life they're currently living. I like movies that make you think different of things, and this surely is one that does so.