Der Clown

I saw this film right on the day it opened in a large theater and even though I wasn't familiar with the original German TV Series I at least expected decent action entertainment and hoped to experience some two hours of fun and adrenaline.

But even my lowest expectations were completely shattered. DER CLOWN is a vintage cinematic failure - which rates even more painful, as it is conceived to be the first cinema released film of the newly formed cinema division of Germany's production company ACTION CONCEPT.

This is even more lamentable, as the film presents its assets in a very loose and disadvantageous manner: even though it contains some extremely strong elaborate stunts, explosions (of choppers, cars and even entire planes) and shootouts, which certainly would be worthy of a true Hollywood action production, these supposed assets are not presented as eye candy at all. The actions sequences are framed and edited in a dull way, making them look average, boring and uninspired. The blown up 16mm to 35mm image on the screen looks awfully cheap, the ongoing use of grand camera moves and particularly the frequent split screens pretending some artistic merits are just annoying and do make no sense at all!

But it's not only the failure of technical aspects, which ads up to me feeling FÜR DUMM VERKAUFT at the end of the screening. The actors, the storyline and the governing VISION of this project seem to be dis comfortably stuck in the feeling of average German 90s television bonanza (no matter how successful it must have been at its time) - and this doesn't add a sense of missing aura and charming feel to the flick...

And finally: the producers really ought to be warned for their slated upcoming productions: if you tailor you next films after this model DON'T EVER ATTACH THE KIND OF CREDITS WITH FEELGOOD BACKSTAGE FOOTAGE AND BLOPPERS ... it's simply downright embarrassing, period (I had to cover my eyes).

Finally I really have to mention, that the best experience of this very evening was the preceding trailer of the upcoming film KAMPFANSAGE (an ACTION CONCEPT CINEMA production as well), which appears to be far more satisfying and in terms of story, look, style, music, characters, acting and directing. And I'm really looking forward to seeing it.

Rumors have it, that this guerrilla like film has been produced on a tight, little budget of EUR 300,000. Now, if there are guys who can make a supposedly appealing feature for such a tiny budget, why are other people of even the same production company (!) entirely unable to end up with something witty and gripping for an estimated budget of 8 billion Euros? That's a Gordian knot I haven't been able to untie yet...

A true and newly born German entertainment cinema is certainly about to appear on the spotlight - but DER CLOWN dosen't belong to it (... at least, that is what I hope!)

... I rated it 3 lame stars for some whacky pyrotechnics and for the hyped-up lips of German I-wanna-be-a great-star Xenia Seeberg ...

Apparently based on a German TV series of the same name and with much of the same cast, "The Clown" moves at a somewhat rushed pace, especially in the first half, that makes it feel almost like an extended series episode; the story also has some questionable points (they find the bad guys' first hideout via a pizza delivery?), and the direction is at times overly gimmicky, overusing the slow-motion and the split-screens. In spite of all that, the film satisfies on its intended pure-action level. The stunts, explosions and chases are exceptionally spectacular, easily on the level of a James Bond movie if not better, and seemingly all done for real, without the use of CGI. It's a film that seems to have been made only for the sheer joy of action, and it transfers much of that joy to the viewer. And of course my comment would be incomplete without mentioning Eva Habermann (the good girl), who is very very beautiful and very very physical, and Xenia Seeberg (the bad girl), who looks a lot like Angelina Jolie, from the expressions to the pouty lips, and gets to fire hundreds of bullets, one of them right into the gut of a man she had just kissed passionately. (**1/2)

I love both Eva Habermann and Xenia Seeberg for their incredible performances in immortal Lexx Series. But here I was so badly shocked and so much disappointed that no words can come in. The plot is a real obvious silliness - bad guys, Xenia is among them, are always plotting some bad actions, only to steal some big chunk of gold from some place. Good guys, including Eva and some mystical Der Clown, as a modern day Robin Hood, always hinder them on doing that. There are many cars exploded, some helicopters, some airplanes, some cycles, some bombs, some more... It all looks like a cheap remake f some Commando or Rambo films, only with poor play and cheap budget. Xenis does not play, she only makes effective poses and shows her legs galore. Eva is better by a hair width, she is always cool but then frightened and brave. I say, this is a brainless, light weight ditty, not a serious thought behind. Do not waste your time on that. But it is good for laughs.

This is by far the worst film ever made. It lacks idea, talent and originality and makes Ed Wood's films seem like Oscar masterpieces. Even the special effects and stunts are boring and completely laughable. It feels like it's been made by monkeys. the "acting" is nonexistent and against the Geneva Conventions and the dialog is so embarrassing that i had to switch it off from time to time. Even a piece of mud would act better that this ensemble. It is a complete waste of time and money. If you want something interesting, i recommend to rather watch static on TV and to avoid this film under all circumstances.

First off, I haven't seen the TV series about the same main character.

I know there is an audience for movies like this. But I tend to expect at least a small storyline that is been followed in the film. After watching "Der Clown" I am not sure what story was told there.

All I can recall is this: A guy, formerly a member of some sort of special forces, dropped out of that unit. Now he is free to break legal rules to successfully hunt down the bad guys. Of course his girlfriend had fought on his side and has been killed in action. We learn this in the opening scene.

The bad guys have the famous idea to rob gold bars (can money be more difficult to carry away?) and they do it with ease. It took just a grenade on the highway to get rid of all the chasing police force.

The Clown starts the hunt. A friend supports helicopters (yes, several of them, because they are wrecked one after the other). And a blondish journalist shows up, right in time to be taken hostage and later to kiss the clown. No other purpose for her to be in the movie. I already forgot how the bad guys were stopped in the end.

Action in a movie doesn't have do be explosions. But in this movie, everything explodes. And as in the German TV series "Cobra 11", cars tend to lift off in slow motion as soon as they hit a little obstacle. This is dull entertainment, destruction for the lover of brute force. You don't care for any character in this movie. The makers tried to make us feel for that poor man that had lost his girlfriend, but it doesn't work just by putting in the scene of her death in slow motion.

If you like TV productions like "Cobra 11", you will probably like this movie. But don't expect more. If you go to the movies to be touched and moved by the story, this is definitely not your film.