40/50

Follows Im Schatten (2010)

Twelve years after he fled, career criminal Trojan returns to Berlin. A valuable painting is set to be stolen in the city. But the meticulously planned heist soon runs out of control..

It had me at the first 5 minutes when you only get action, no talk

I was rather reluctant that day to see this film, I thought another dark noir experiment. But I love the actor Misel Maticevic and I had seen films by Thomas Arslan, although not the first installment of this triptych, Im Schatten (In the Shadow), so I went to the theatre. Right away I found myself deeply involved in a classic masterpiece, a heist movie, but quite different.

My only objection: just a trifle less driving would have been more

On the whole, not a lot of talk, but when it happens, it’s perfect and to the point and gives you background of the characters or moves the story forward. You expect violence in a heist gone awry, and indeed it’s present, but rather implied through words and results, the camera does not pry on it, so your imagination can fill in the blanks – all the more terrifying. A lot of driving is done, mostly at night, through a rather bleak cityscape, quite a different aspect of the majestic Berlin.

Kudos to Mr

Arslan for this marvelous piece of rigorous aethetics where not one frame is wrong. And Kudos to the actors who are so good you don’t forget one face even if it was onscreen for only 2 minutes (the watch buyer, the old friend become evil, the old friend gone legit). I can’t wait to see the third part of the trilogy which I read is in the making.