Knallhart (2006)

User Rating:

7.2/10   

Director:

Detlev Buck

Writers:

Zoran Drvenkar (writer)
Gregor Tressnow (writer)

Release Date:

9 March 2006 (Germany)

Genre:

Crime | Drama

Plot:

When Miriam splits up with her wealthy lover, she and her 15-year-old son Michael have to move from posh Zehlendorf to run-down Berlin-Neukölln...

Plot Keywords:

School | Bully | Police | Mother Son Relationship | Teenage Boy

Awards:

8 wins & 1 nomination

Cast

David Kross	...	Michael Polischka
Jenny Elvers	...	Miriam Polischka (as Jenny Elvers-Elbertzhagen)
Erhan Emre	...	Hamal
Oktay Özdemir	...	Erol (as Inanç Oktay Özdemir)
Kida Khodr Ramadan	...	Barut
Arnel Taci	...	Crille
Kai Michael Müller	...	Matze
Hans Löw	...	Kommissar Gerber
Jan Henrik Stahlberg	...	Dr. Klaus Peters
rest of cast listed alphabetically:
Sinan Akdeniz	...	Erols Gang Mitglied #3
Ali-Kemal Akyaz	...	Erols Gang Mitglied #2
Sofiane Benbrahim	...	Mann in Strandbar
Peter Bucksch	...	Lehrer Radke
Hassan Charour	...	Erols Gang Mitglied #7
Roland Florstedt	...	Captain Nemo
Georg Friedrich
Stephan Grossmann	...	Hotte
Rebecca Hessing	...	Erols Freundin
Bernhard Howe	...	Vater Mangold
Franziska Jünger	...	Simone
Yavoz Kalan	...	Tarek
Roman Kaminski	...	Stubenwilli
Niklas Kohrt	...	Typ auf Fussballplatz
Baris Kömürü	...	Erols Gang Mitglied #6
Stefan Konarske	...	Dirk
Fabian Krüger	...	Rainer der Künstler
Eva Löbau	...	Elke
Marcel Moreno	...	Cousin Hamal
Henriette Müller	...	Jule
Amy Mußul	...	Lisa
Engin Özdemin	...	Erols Gang Mitglied #4
Peter Sander	...	Taxifahrer #1
Florian Schöne	...	Tiger
Mehmed-Azad Subasi	...	Erols Gang Mitglied #1
Christian Ulmen	...	Mann von hinten
Oskar Umpierrez	...	Taxifahrer #2
Blazej Wittowski	...	Erols Gang Mitglied #5
Alexander Yassin	...	Indischer Nachbar
Marc Zwinz	...	Strippe

Also Known As:

Tough Enough (USA)

Runtime:

Germany:98 min | Argentina:98 min

Country:

Germany

Language:

German

Color:

Color

Aspect Ratio:

1.85 : 1

Sound Mix:

Dolby Digital

Certification:

Germany:12 | Italy:VM14 | Finland:K-15 | Argentina:13 | France:-12 | Netherlands:12

Filming Locations:

Berlin, Germany

Company:

Boje Buck Produktion

Goofs:

Continuity: When returning from their burglary at Klaus' mansion, Michael and his two new school friends can be seen sitting in a subway whose cars are openly connected so that you can walk the whole subway from one end to the other without passing a door (which is a newer model of "U-Bahn"-trains in Berlin). When the three boys leave the train at the station, the subway model suddenly has changed. The type of cars you can see from the outside then cannot be walked continuously from one end of the train to the other. Instead those (older) cars are separate units connected "one by one" externally - to get to another car you would have to leave through the side doors and enter the next car the same way.

Gripping

This film really got to me, probably because it was almost perfectly realistic. The characters are brilliantly drawn - no simplistic goodies or baddies. The setting, in the not-so-wealthy suburbs of Berlin, is very believable.

Full marks for the acting and directing. There are some gutwrenching scenes in this film. I won't go into the details because I don't want to spoil a thing, but both physical and emotional violence are portrayed with an alarming conviction. I wish more film makers could achieve this instead of resorting to comic book fights or glossing over the brutal reality.

I sincerely hope that this film is released internationally, and that it escapes the censors' scissors. It would be a shame if only German-speaking audiences could see it.