conan_the_cribber

Hi, my review is based on seeing the original German production. Germany has a long history of producing fine crime dramas, it is the most popular genre in television. The series "The Toten von Marnow" is in my opinion, one of the best shows ever made in this genre. Everything about this series has been beautifully crafted and I'll list some of my reasoning below.

Firstly, the realism of the characters. The cops in this show are absolutely not like your typical Hollywood maverick cops who seem to win every fight, have an IQ of 150 and are disrespectful to their bosses. The main protagonists are just ordinary detectives, both with tragic back stories, which become involved in a conspiracy reluctantly. Each bad decision they make leads to further unforeseeable consequences. They are portrayed brilliantly with a full range of emotions by the leads Sascha Alexander Gersak and Petra Schmidt-Schaller.

The antagonists are equally well portrayed and their motivation, based on misdeeds of the bankrupt former East German government at the end of it's reign, is understandable. There are not hoards of minions being thoughtlessly slaughtered on the way to solving the crime. The people behind the conspiracy are not evil masterminds or one dimensional villains, they are just ordinary people too, who just want the story buried, so they can go on with their new lives in the West.

The pacing of the series is almost perfect. Each episode ends leaving you wanting to see how it develops further. There are plenty of truly unexpected moments in the series, and the conclusion, where the reason for the crimes and the actions of the perpetrators is revealed is both poetic and understandable.

Definitely worth watching if you're a fan of realistically portrayed crime dramas.

This nice German film is based on a simple idea. The unemployed factory worker Edwin Strunz goes on holiday and after a haircut is mistaken for the local governor (Ministerpräsident) Uwe Achimsen. The governor was taking a holiday, which leaves Strunz in charge. Rather than taking advantage of this mix up for his own benefit, Strunz stays true to his roots and uses his new found position to help others. His simple charm enchants both allies and enemies and enables Strunz to get things done as governor that his less charming double couldn't. The humour comes mainly from the way that the character Strunz manages to avoid answering questions directly and the interactions with Achimsen's nearest and dearest. Wolfgang Stumph does an excellent job, playing both roles convincingly. The supporting cast is well chosen, Katja Riemann adding the necessary dramatic edge to the whole film. Overall, well worth watching on a snowy Sunday evening.

Not all prison films have to be all action affairs about fighting other prisoners to survive, violent guards and escape plans. Instead, this rather quiet and entertaining film is about a prison program that involves using inmates to train guide dogs. The theory being of course, being responsible for a dog will mean that they are more responsible for themselves.

Thomas Sarbacher does an excellent job as Mosk, the lone wolf character who is forced against his will into the program. Sarbacher does a great job presenting the reluctant character who is unable to connect to his dog, until he almost loses it. The transition from "don't care" to "must care" to "want to care" is done very well.

If the film can be criticized it is for not developing the other characters. Only the Turkish side kick figure "Döner" and his relationship to Mosk is developed at all. Several plot sub-stories were also not clearly presented, e.g. the connection to Italy, that Mosk thought he had. However, the role of the dog trainer is extremely well acted by Hark Bohm.

Nevertheless it is a well filmed prison drama. Prison life is presented realistically, without any frills. The dogs are wonderful and not super trained Lassie types and the sound track is wonderful. Good late night viewing when you're feeling like a chilled out thoughtful film.