Mark Waschke's first solo investigation starts out as a loner cop-on-vengeance thing, but then drifts in an unexpected direction. Can that what?
What is happening?
Things are not going well for Commissioner Karow (Mark Waschke), the death of his colleague Rubin affects the investigator more than expected. When his childhood friend Maik Balthasar (Andreas Pietschmann) is found shot dead in the forest, something clicks in Karow: He doubts the official investigations, according to which the nightclub owner and clan leader Mesut Günes (Sahin Eryilmaz) is responsible for Balthasar's murder should - and investigates on his own and against the express will of his boss (Jasmin Tabatabai).
Karow delves deeper and deeper into the life of his murdered friend, who last worked as an undercover agent in Günes' orbit as a courier, and soon even moves into his apartment. The journey into Balthasar's past quickly becomes a journey into one's own past.
What is it really about?
Above all, "The Victim" wants the audience to delve deeper into the character of Karow with its many different layers. Actor Waschke: "All our behaviors, our desires and longings are inscribed in the body, all the contradictions that determine our lives. As in 'Meta', Erol Yesilkaya has written a book here that pushes me as Robert Karow to my limits and beyond that. Where we don't want to look is usually the rub."
Roadzapp Moment?
Before the film later goes into more depth, it builds up a worn-out loner-cop-on-a-vengeance-campaign around Karow in the first 30 minutes. There are then a few moments where the hand could twitch in the direction of the remote control.
Wow-Factor?
The revelation of the "tender" side of the Turkish clan chief comes quite unexpectedly and is then told and shown without hesitation: strong.
How is it?
7.5 out of 10 points. "The Victim" starts out a bit flat, but then unexpectedly picks up speed and does away with its own clichés. Still, something is missing at the end. We'll find out if it's the female touch in early 2023, when Corinna Harfouch investigates at Waschke's side for the first time.
