Kurz und schmerzlos (1998)

User Rating:

7.7/10   

Director:

Fatih Akin

Writer:

Fatih Akin (writer)

Release Date:

15 October 1998 (Germany)

Genre:

Crime | Drama | Thriller

Plot:

Three friends get caught in a life of major crime.

Plot Keywords:

Friend | Weapon Deal | Hamburg Germany | Gangster | Cult Favorite

Awards:

5 wins & 4 nominations

Cast

Mehmet Kurtulus	...	Gabriel
Aleksandar Jovanovic	...	Bobby
Adam Bousdoukos	...	Costa
Regula Grauwiller	...	Alice
Idil Üner	...	Ceyda
Ralph Herforth	...	Muhamer
Oscar Ortega Sánchez	...	Waffenhändler / Weapon Dealer
Marc Hosemann	...	Sven
Cem Akin	...	Gabriels Bruder / Gabriel's Brother
Sükriye Dönmez	...	Seine Braut / His Bride
Mustafa Enver Akin	...	Gabriels Vater / Gabriel's Father
Hadiye Akin	...	Gabriels Mutter / Gabriel's Mother
Fatih Akin	...	Nejo
Nezâ Selbuz	...	Tänzerin auf Hochzeit / Wedding Dancer
Monique Akin	...	Junge Frau im Reisebüro / Young Woman in Travel Agency (as Monique Obermüller)

Also Known As:

Short Sharp Shock (USA)

Runtime:

100 min

Country:

Germany

Language:

German | Greek | Serbo-Croatian | Turkish

Color:

Color

Aspect Ratio:

1.85 : 1

Sound Mix:

Dolby SR

Certification:

France:-12 | Germany:16 (bw)

Filming Locations:

Altona, Hamburg, Germany

Company:

Wüste Filmproduktion

Trivia:

Director Cameo: [Fatih Akin]the drug dealer Nejo.

Goofs:

Crew or equipment visible: As the camera tracks in to Bobby and Muhamer, the camera and its tracks are reflected on the front door of the car.

Movie Connections:

References Il buono, il brutto, il cattivo. (1966)

Great German underground drama

"Kurz und schmerzlos" means as much as "quickly and smoothly" and is a German underground drama by young Turkish film maker Fatih Akin. Shot in the suburbs and industrial area of Hamburg, Akin's home town, it was a big hit in German repertory cinemas in 1999.

The film shows the life and fate of three young foreigners - Turk Gabriel, Greek Costa and Serb Bobby, all of them dreaming of love and money in the bleak surroundings of social welfare, crimes, industry, unemployment and cultural minorities. Of course it won't take long until the friendship of the three outsiders is about to break apart when Gabriel becomes a henchman for a local gangster boss, and a journey through violence and despair begins for all three of them...

There are no special effects, no visual games, there is just pure "adrenaline acting" - except for Ralf Herforth ("Knocking on Heaven's Door") as gangster boss Muhamer, all actors are unknown newcomers, but with a great impact and brilliant performances. There is much realistic violence in it than can be felt in every second, and you really need to watch out for some contemporary American or Japanese underground stuff to find something similar. And the sound track is very good, too.

But the movie shows also the social milieu and the problems of national minorities in a Western country like in the works of British film maker Hanif Kureishi ("My Beautiful Laundrette"). Watch out for this example for great contemporary German cinema, and although "Kurz und schmerzlos" avoids all the visual styling of "Lola rennt", it has the same impact and power like that international box office hit!