Dominik Graf is the best living german director and shows it with almost every film he does. Sadly the german film industry is traditionally ailing and Graf´s credits consist largely of made-for-TV-movies. But even when working for the small screen Graf never forgets that it´s equally important for a film to tell its story in images as a working storyline and good dialogue are. The TV-series "Tatort" is one of the longest running in german TV (since 1970 in fact). Always different but ever returning policemen track down criminals of all kinds. One of the most popular team of policemen were Schimanski and Thanner. "Schwarzes Wochenende" came four years after they debuted with "Duisburg - Ruhrort" in 1981 and was and is their finest hour. Graf manages to challenge the two leading actors, who are known for keeping to their shtick if a weaker director allows them to, into great performances each and thereby adding a complex character study of the troubled policeman - rare with the genre in Germany - to a (not only for TV-standards) highly complicated plot and competent thriller. This TV-movie could stand the test of a big screen showing any time.
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