"Falco - Verdammt, wir leben noch!" or "Falco: Damn It, We're Still Alive!" or just "Falco" is an Austrian/German co-production from 2008, so it will have its 10th anniversary soon. The language in here is German (frequently with an Austrian accent) and there is some English in here too, not just in the songs. And with songs I am of course referring to the music of title character Falco, who is still fairly famous today, even if he has been dead for almost two decades. But first things first: The writer and director here is Thomas Roth and it is still his most known work I guess and this may have a lot to do with the man that these 105 minutes are about: Austrian singer Falco. This biopic succeeds in most regards. It is not about making the man look very likable, but instead it goes for realism and informs people about this huge star's career, but also his private life struggles and problem when his music career was not going that well.
A lot of the film's success may have to do with the lead performance by Manuel Rubey. I saw he got cast very shortly before shooting started, but I am sure Stadlober would have been nowhere near as good as Rubey. He literally becomes Falco, even if it helps of course that the costumes were spot-on and that he can hide his eyes behind a pair of sunglasses, just like Falco always did. Oh and lets not forget the music. I have to say the lyrics of Falco's songs are really nothing special to me and it was fitting how one of his hits got called a children song on one occasion. But the melody makes them catchy and Falco's charisma helps really a lot too. He may not have been the most gifted artist, but he certainly was one of the most unique and he built a pretty huge career on his style and individual approach and this also elevated his music by a whole lot. I think this was a good watch. It almost never dragged, which is always a strong achievement for such a runtime. Here we have a film that does justice to the human being that Falco was. I certainly recommend the watch. Also fun to see Tramitz in a serious supporting role here. I don't know any of the other actors, except Bond girl Grace Jones who makes a brief appearance very early.
A lot of the film's success may have to do with the lead performance by Manuel Rubey. I saw he got cast very shortly before shooting started, but I am sure Stadlober would have been nowhere near as good as Rubey. He literally becomes Falco, even if it helps of course that the costumes were spot-on and that he can hide his eyes behind a pair of sunglasses, just like Falco always did. Oh and lets not forget the music. I have to say the lyrics of Falco's songs are really nothing special to me and it was fitting how one of his hits got called a children song on one occasion. But the melody makes them catchy and Falco's charisma helps really a lot too. He may not have been the most gifted artist, but he certainly was one of the most unique and he built a pretty huge career on his style and individual approach and this also elevated his music by a whole lot. I think this was a good watch. It almost never dragged, which is always a strong achievement for such a runtime. Here we have a film that does justice to the human being that Falco was. I certainly recommend the watch. Also fun to see Tramitz in a serious supporting role here. I don't know any of the other actors, except Bond girl Grace Jones who makes a brief appearance very early.