Tattoo (I) (2002) User Reviews

disturbing

[dbborroughs · 7/10 · 27 April 2008]

German made thriller about a killer with connections to Tattoos. When a body turns up burned and mutilated, with a chunk of skin missing, a senior cop blackmails a younger cop into helping him try and find the killer, as well as another missing girl gone two years. The investigation leads to several other bodies all with missing tattoos. Dark thriller that was explained to me as in the vein of Seven. I don't think so. It is a dark and disturbing little thriller that isn't particularly happy. Very well made and well acted the film is a bit too much form over substance at times, with its dark brooding passages and very deliberate set design. Its not bad but it kind of lessons the thrills since the film seems at times more intent on looking good. It also doesn't help that the who of the who done it is a bit too clear. Still its worth a look for those who like gritty, good looking thrillers that are a bit on the squishy side.

Stylish, derivative

[jhs39 · 5/10 · 19 June 2003]

Sleekly shot German serial killer movie gets by for most of its length on style and the original and creepy millieu of tattoo collectors--people who display stretched out skin on their walls like paintings. The problem is that an audience familiar with the serial killer genre will likely find Tattoo very predictable and the script takes a few annoying shortcuts. For instance, it's painfully obvious very early in the film who is likely behind the murders, but the police never even seem to consider this person a suspect in spite of the fact that she's an art dealer and knows a hell of a lot about tattoo art, which is not the normal area of expertise for gallery owners. If that's not suspicious enough she first turns up at the apartment of one of the victims shortly after the murder even though she claims not to have spoken to her former friend in years. Amazingly the police never treat her as a suspect or even bother to check out her story about the death of a famous tattoo artist in New York until the very end of the film. Tattoo borrows heavily from two much better serial killer movies--Seven and the Korean flick Tell Me Something, which managed to not telegraph its surprise ending in the first twenty minutes and not make its protagonist cop look like a complete idiot for failing to figure out who the real murderer was. Still, Tattoo is a watchable enough example of the genre if you're in the mood for a serial killer movie. Just don't expect too much.

waste of time and money

[octavian-6 · 5/10 · 25 March 2002]

I've seen Tattoo in a sneak preview and i think its pretty bad. The story has too many flaws and the dialogue is awful. If you like seeing dead bodies and other disturbing pictures without a good story behind, then go into this movie. But please dont compare this one to David Finchers Seven.

Germany's answer to SE7EN!

[prvtjoker · 25 February 2002]

I had the pleasure of seeing the directorial debut of Robert Schwentke, TATTOO, over the weekend at the American Film Market in Santa Monica. And what a pleasure it was. Imagine the most gruesome horror film you can, conceived and shot with the eye and soul of an artist, and you begin to get the picture of this twisted tale of two cops investigating the trade in tattoo-adorned human skins. While the script occasionally slips into standard genre territory (it is, after all, essentially a "two cops after a killer movie"), the film itself is so riveting, shocking, and massively entertaining that any small flaws can be easily overlooked. I understand it comes out in Europe this spring - let's hope a North American release isn't far behind, because Schwentke is a director to watch, and if his debut is any indication, he is well on his way to becoming a world-class filmmaker.

A good insight into to German thrillers

[sadakohere · 6/10 · 22 October 2007]

After watching the exceptionally powerful acting in "Downfall", I was subconsciously hoping for the same performances in this film.

But nah, the acting was pretty wooden and I ended up not caring about anyone! As far as thrillers go, this was pretty good but not what the hype made it out to be. Didn't actually see any victims being skinned for their tattoo either, only the aftermath on corpses.

Had me hooked in and interested but as a fan of more hardcore horror/thrillers, I'd only recommend this to easily offended/disturbed viewers (due to lack of graphic nature) looking for a decent enough Saturday night in with a big bag of noisy Doritos.

Crazy movie

[atinder · 7/10 · 7 March 2014]

Tattoo (2002)

What a crazy movie, the movie start of with a lady who is naked walking in the rain, her back as just been skinned off, then she gets hit by a bus that crash and blows up.

Then police are investigation that body at morgue and find out that there finger in side her, she as bit of the attack sh-allowed!

That was just first 4 minutes of the movie , the action packed for the first hour so, fast moving,

it gets little slower just after hour into movie but it dose not last long, as pick up speed again for last 20 minutes.

I did not get the ending at all, I wish it was bit was clear.

Really good movie and great acting in the movie.

7 out of 10

Too much of a Diehl showcase

[Horst_In_Translation · 4/10 · 22 February 2015]

"Tattoo" is the first feature film from writer and director Robert Schwentke. When it came out in 2002, August Diehl was huge rising star in Germany. I actually like him, but as the film progressed, I felt it was really much more about the actor in the center of the movie then about a good story. I did not like the path they took with the tattoos and the story behind the murders. I wish it would just have been one single-acting sociopath who turns out as a ritual murderer.

Apart from that, it has to be mentioned that Redl's and Diehl's character are almost equal at the beginning of the film, but it all switches much more towards Diehl. the way Redl's character was written out of the film was particularly disappointing with how much focus was on him early on. All we find out about his family history was just means to have Diehl's character meet his daughter later on. He turned from a lead into a completely pointless character in roughly 90 minutes. I found myself thinking that Diehl could be the killer or that Redl could be the killer during the film. I was wrong both times. With Redl as the killer, it may have been a mixture of "Training Day" and "Collateral". Anyway, things take a turn for the worse when that one guy kills himself with Diehl's weapon. That scene was maybe the most cringeworthy moment of the entire movie and I felt that they completely sacrificed a credible script for just random showy action scenes at this point. And the whole cop-witness attraction between Diehl's and Krebitz' characters was too cliché for my taste too. And finally, the transformation from a "weakling" almost into a badass cop from Diehl's character did not feel really credible either.

The first half of the film is solid, the second half is considerably weaker. As a whole, I would not recommend this film. I wish they would have kept both protagonists in the center of the story. I quite like August Diehl as an actor, but that script was just too much centered around him. Also, the film lost a bit credibility when almost everybody is suddenly tattooed, like Krebitz' character or also Diehl at the very end.

Flames, art and tattoos.

[maria-62 · 8/10 · 4 September 2002]

Lynn is a woman with a very delicate and exclusive japanese tattoo on her body. The art and class of the tattoo is so fine that a collector pays enormous amounts of money to obtain the skin art. That means ripping it of the living body in Lynn's case.

This is a German crime-movie about two cops (and not the ordinary ones) solving the mystery of the 12 missing bodies/tattoos. Who is the collector, and how can they get in touch with him?

The estethic of the movie is beautiful if you ask me. Though it is very in-your-face and raw to some people I can belive. Flames of fire and blood is the theme in contrast to stiff, clean German architecture.

I enjoyed this movie a lot and it was althrough an exiting piece of art.

/Maria

Strong imagery and atmosphere indeed, but what about the ending?

[phaze2 · 1/10 · 14 April 2002]

Normally I am not the kind of person to get mad about a movie. I either think abuot it as good entertainment - and that's it - or as not worth viewing, well, there go ? 8,-. But this film managed to almost make me scream in pain. If it was just plain bad I wouldn't bother to write this comment. But indeed it had its moments. In fact it was partly brilliant. As the first movie I know it managed to combine some of the best elements of genuine german film-making and big Hollywood cinema. There may be some minor flaws in the storyline, including the fact that one can guess quite early who the real antagonist is. But these are well compensated by a dense storyline, credible characters and a nice amount of gore ^_^ . So much potential. And then... THIS ENDING ?! Did Schwentke run out of money? Brain? Or both? Maybe I am just too dumb to get it, but I felt just unsatisfied and betrayed. And according to the reaction of my friends and the other viewers I was not alone. But anyways, 'trakl' may be right - this film might change the whole way of german film-making in a positive way. Let's hope for the best.

Tattoo late.

[dbdumonteil · 2 November 2004]

It was too late!If there had not been "silence of the lambs", "seven",this German flick could have had its day.But it tries too hard to be like the American relatives and it cannot be compared with them.It seems that in Europa only Spanish Amenabar was able to transcend his models.

Not that "tattoo" is devoid of good scenes.The rain falling over Maya's body ,revealing her impressive tattoos ,is a great moment ,both erotic and unsettling;the lawyer and his awful collection provides the movie with another strong sequence.

But ,with its "open" ending,à la "silence of the lambs" (which goal is,obviously to make an eventual sequel,"Tattoo" tries too hard and it's finally its downfall.A curio.

Style over Substance

[MrDeWinter · 1/10 · 10 September 2021]

One of those movies that look good on paper. Direction is all over the place. Acting is unimpressive. Atmospheric, yes, but story-wise not engaging. The ending is just WTF?

Finally a hip Euro-Thriller that's worth watching

[Ebonsun · 9/10 · 19 October 2002]

Though this movie does have more than passing similarities to David Fincher's SE7EN, I feel that comparing the two is unfair and, in my opinion, downright unwise. It is true that TATTOO unfolds in an ever rainy cityscape; follows the lives of two police detectives (with a vast generation and experience gap) while they chase a killer. And yes, it plays its drama out amidst a seedy German underworld

However, what transpires amidst this spectacularly visualized tapestry full of rave parties, torture chambers, skin rooms, and body modification cliques willing to sell the tattoos off their body for quick cash, is vastly different in tone and theme from Fincher's 'who done it, and why' police procedural. Here the characters are not shown as black and white, but rather in shades of gray. Their lives, their dilemmas, are the real story. Even the reasons for the killings are presented in such a way that makes you understand, if not empathize, with those that a standard Hollywood picture would casually demonize. This element of moral ambiguity, under the remarkably controlled direction of Schwentke, creates a dark, cold, and subtly stylized world, that surprisingly plays as very very real.

It is encouraging to see a European film with the refined sensibility of European cinema combined so adeptly with a genre so intrinsically American. It is also hard to believe that this is Schwentke's directorial debut. (I for one will keep my eye on him.)

It's a remarkable film, and I certainly hope it blows the doors open for other genre films shot in Germany, and in Europe as a whole. Not since viewing Spoorloos (The Vanishing) have I been so impressed. If you have a chance, don't hesitate to catch it on the big screen. It's gorgeous, it's ballsy, and it's worth it.

Use more Nivea Creme!

[Nachtportier · 1/10 · 21 August 2005]

Over 90 percent of Tattoo are taken at night or indoors with dim lightning. This might be the reason why this one is often compared to David Fincher's Seven (which also has two officers investigating mysterious and bizarre serial killer). Fairly impressive cast of Tattoo cannot cache rather implausible & heavy constructed story. August Diehl has never looked so lost on the big screen as in the second half of Tattoo (probably he noticed what he was into it - and it was too late to get out). Dull and likely socially disturbed dialogs (with some "witty" humor about the skin, German "die Pelle") plus the unnatural lightning definitely kills the aesthetic effort of the filmmakers (which is merely noticeable). This movie is rated to high in my opinion, because there is no explicit cruelty in it (which is a plus!), its just mostly boredom.

The plot tries to display a bizarre scene of Tattoo-fetishists (Tattoo collectors who kill people for their skin). The Tattoo art aspect comes short, they only chat about it, but the actual Tattoos used in this movie are not good (or not displayed good enough).

Our hero (Diehl) goes through a strange metamorphosis from a innocent and unprofessional police-apprentice (which he masters very good) till he becomes a super-bad-cop like Charles Bronson (selfjustice, etc). Diehl looks here a lot out of place.

This movie had a notable success (especially in the U.S.), seems like a proper mix of some hype elements: Tattoos, sex & body modification (marginal). But this movie has a significant lack in the story itself, which is not plausible at all. Other problems are weak director's performance (seems like Nadeshda Brennicke was casted only to take off the clothes) and somehow inappropriate editing (with no plausible reasoning). The good one about this movie are some supporting actors, which are brilliant (Ilknur Bahadir as the annoying cop and Monika Bleibtreu as police-boss-mom) and some interesting architecture shots. The rest is awful, great actors and expensive lihgtstyling are no guarantee for a good movie. Well, not in Germany.

ps. Nivea-Creme is a very popular skin care product in Europe.

Schwentke's business card for Hollywood

[erniemunger · 5/10 · 4 December 2005]

A young and inexperienced cop in Berlin sheds his innocence when he is drawn into a series of bloody murders commissioned by a mysterious tattoo fetishist. While a rather untypical product of mainstream European cinema, this first major effort by director Robert Schwentke is nonetheless a good indicator of where young German filmmakers are heading to. It would seem that most of the local filmschool hipsters have been molded by the same standard principles in story and production design that make for occasional good but, alas, also a majority of awful Hollywood flicks. This propensity may be best observed in the seminal TV crime series Tatort (Scene of the Crime), where aspiring cinematographers get a chance to work hands on – Schwentke, for his part, directed three episodes. Though the "cinematic" feel and level of "professionality" of these 90-minute small screen pictures have certainly gone up in the past ten or so years, you have to be alarmed at how interchangeable and, arguably, dull they have become. Tattoo is an ambitious Tatort. It is in a way very mature – scarily so. It's all neatly timed, the story and plot are textbook, the locations well-casted (most likely the only film set in Berlin that does without the usual tourist vistas), the travellings elaborate, the picture is crafty, the soundtrack heavily suggestive etc. But, as the French say, the mayonnaise doesn't blend. In fact, the director's intentions (making a gritty Euro urban thriller) are as subtle as ripping someone's skin off to get his tattoo. (By the way, the idea is by no means new – the 1968 French comedy Le Tatoué with Jean Gabin and Louis de Funès treated this subject in a far more refined way.) Unlike his famous US predecessors, Tattoo never hits the right tone and, worst of all, lacks genuinely creepy moments and an overall tension. "They say a person's house is a mirror to his soul..." See, that's the sort of dialogue, along with some fluffy art talk about 17th-century Japanese tattoo masters, that'll strangle any movie to a pathological death. This general impression extends to the actors who desperately try to come to terms with their storyboard characters. Germany's shooting star August Diehl as an unlikely specimen of a new generation of techno-dancing big city cops delivers a wholly unconvincing performance. Christian Redl is your cynical old school detective with a chip on his shoulder, and lacks depth. Nadeshda Brennicke does her best to play a Kraut version of the femme fatale, which is obviously far from enough. (Well, she is half redeemed once she's dropped her skirt.) And while all this is still more or less acceptable for a late Saturday night telly flick, the end clearly isn't. What happened there? Where was the teacher to get Schwentke to revise his homework? But apart from that glitch, let there be no doubt that this German model pupil is off for a great Hollywood career shooting commissioned box office busters by the dozen. Good riddance, if you ask me.

Dark, atmospheric and brooding euro-horror / thriller

[DVD_Connoisseur · 9/10 · 13 April 2007]

"Tattoo" is a first class macabre psychological horror movie / thriller from director Robert Schwentke. From the start, its cold colour palette and distanced camera-work create a dark and sinister atmosphere. Nightclub life in the world of "Tattoo" appears depressing and emotionless. This is a world where there is little laughter, only pain.

Schwentke manages to create an on-screen world where the fantastic events of this tale seem believable. Inspired by the German expressionist movement, it's a fantastic achievement and although comparisons will always be made with Fincher's "Se7en", I think "Tattoo" is the superior film.

The cast are excellent. August Diehl plays the young cop who is blackmailed into joining Christian Redl on the grittier side of police work. Diehl's first case is the murder of a young woman who was into self-mutilation and who died shortly after biting off a man's finger...and swallowing it. The beautiful Nadeshda Brennicke plays Maya Kroner whose secrets take the story in an exciting and unpredictable direction.

While the subject of people being murdered for their tattoos is not new (Roald Dahl's short-story "Skin" covers the same ground), the film's plot is gripping and effectively told.

After viewing this film shortly after "Antikörper" and "Kontroll," it would appear that some of the best psychological horror films of the noughties are coming out of Europe. Rich on atmosphere and slightly other-worldly, these films are a delight to watch.

9 out of 10.

The German sequel to Se7en - they just don't call it "Eight"...

[Starbuck-13 · 5/10 · 20 March 2002]

Well, I generally don't have a very high opinion about German movies. This movie I just saw because it happened to be the Sneak Preview movie of the week.

I was not totally disappointed. The movie tells an interesting serial murder mystery and succeeds in thrilling the viewer with a lot of well done cinematographic tricks. But let's be honest: Se7en certainly comes to mind every minute during the whole movie.

What do we have here? We have a young detective at the murder department, August Diehl is the German version of Brad Pitt. He certainly does a good job there.

Then we have the grumpy old Morgan Freeman character, Pitts, pardon, Diehls partner.

We have the setting: An ugly collection of dark and gritty rooms, followed by ugly suburbian areas followed by rainy night scenes followed be ugly dark rooms again. Message to all foreigners: It's NOT raining all the time in Germany - but of course it's raining all the time in Se7en too :-)

Further Se7en elements: The serial murder plot, the special delivery to one of the detectives, the (not too) surprising solution and the huge amount of blood and gore.

Oh, but we have no Gwyneth Paltrow here and instead of the seven mortal sins the focus of the story is on splendid tattoos.

I LOVED THIS MOVIE!

[roztill · 10/10 · 16 March 2004]

Saw this flick at a funky theater in Pasadena, California known for showing art-type films.

I thought this film was very well made. OK, the ending was slightly ambiguous, but who cares. The story, character development, acting were great and the production value was high. It was beautifully shot, lit, directed, edited and the music was great. Was hoping to get to see it again but it left the theatre before I had a chance. I am a big fan of this genre and most are not of the level of quality of TATTOO.

Am I the only person who liked this movie this much? And I don't even have a tattoo.

Anybody know if this film can be rented or purchased?

roz tillman

A Film of Artful Surfaces and Harrowing Underneaths

[Mitch-93 · 9/10 · 10 October 2002]

If David Fincher's SE7EN was a mystery shot through the prism of 70s American crime films, then Robert Schwentke's TATTOO is a mystery shot through the prism of 70's European art films. The comparisons are inescapable, it shares SE7EN's dark look, dual detectives, mid-point chase and "something in a box" as well as its meticulous, exacting direction, but it is a very different film with very different thematic agendas. This German film about a secret market in skin and its thematic concerns of guilt, conformity, identity, violence and heritage suggest obvious connections to the Third Reich and the current crisis of east/west reintegration of culture. This rich thematic tapestry is held together by one of the most precise, stylish and icily dreamlike directorial debuts to be seen in decades. Shades of Antonioni and Cronenberg, as well as Tourneur and Hitchcock inform a style which is never imitative and truly hypnotic. Strong, understated performances ground the film, which stumbles only in a pre-climax exposition scene that feels shoe-horned in, for until that point, every piece of information is earned and visually realized. Schwentke is a director to watch; provocative, thoughtful and clearly in love with the art of cinema.

Dark and stylish

[info-2513 · 10/10 · 26 May 2004]

When the police raid an underground rave, newly graduated police officer Marc has to make himself (and his drugs) scarce.

However, his stash is uncovered by Detective Minks who presents Marc with an ultimatum: join the homicide team in a particularly gruesome and dangerous serial murder case or lose his fledgeling career.

Marc is soon aware that Minks' missing daughter holds the key to a grisly trade in decorated human skin and faces a sole operation to protect the innocent in danger and expose the head of the organisation...

Dark and stylish, this brooding psychological 'Se7en' style thriller will make your skin crawl as it twists and turns its way towards an unforgettably chilling climax.

Dark thriller with haunting imagery

[AristarchosTheArchivist · 8/10 · 8 April 2002]

As being fond of thrillers with a dark atmosphere, I was really looking forward to seeing "Tattoo". And indeed - I was not disappointed. Although the film contains some minor flaws, the unique idea of collecting tattoos as works of art is very appealing. August Diehl is brilliant as usual, Christian Redl as the depressive detective Minks is absolutely convincing. The plot leaves some things unanswered, which is quite irritating, but not to consider as an actual flaw. Some characters remind me of some of Lynch's disturbing, mysterious figures. Schwentke tries to give the film an extra layer via images, with which he mostly succeeds. The film quotes "Silence of the Lambs" and "Se7en" but this does not subtract from it's originality. An important genre film able to change the German market.

8 out of 10.

Heart achingly stylish

[littlemisshaywood · 8/10 · 28 February 2010]

This is well worth the mere 1hr 40 minutes it takes to watch.

Beautifully, beautifully shot with some inspired mise en scene it has a solid plot and a good twist. With many a scene I found myself on the edge of my seat...it has a marvellously twisted and sullen mood to it.

I also have to commend August Diehl, who takes a magnificent role as the young rookie cop Marc Schrader. As the film progresses you can actually see the horrors he's facing taking their toll in his gradual physical and mental deterioration. But there are strong performances all around, especially Christian Redl as the jaded Chief Inspector Minks.

A gritty and gorgeously visual thriller that I can recommend to anyone.

Lacks logic

[largo-9 · 8/10 · 30 July 2008]

The directorial debut of Schwentke is no-doubt a very well shot movie. It looks beautiful, ıts atmosphere is intriguing, the score and soundtrack is perfect match and the acting is above average.. whoever succeeds in shooting a movie that looks like this as a debut is deemed to be a very successful director. thats for sure.. His obssesion with reflections can be tiring from time to time but Schwentke handles this so delicately this trademark of his never feels repetitive..It is nearly impossible to think of someone who would not wonder about Schwentke's next project after watching Tattoo. So after so much praise lets come to the negatives. I will say only one thing: story.. It is full of nonsense. Minks a cop of years of experience on the streets can not locate his own daughter but the younger cop who is asked to help find her in a day.. and hey she was working as a bartender in a nightclub. But a 20 year veteran detective who seems to live to find his daughter can not locate her..? Actually I myself had difficulty in following the plot but the movie gives you the understanding that the police in Germany is really really incompetent--no offense to the Polizie it is just what the movie suggests..-- 12 deads, one dead detective and his daughter and still no one seems to care including the chief..? I think with a stronger screenplay this movie had the potential to be a classic especially with the direction of Schwentke.. A solid 7.5

AMAZING movie

[horbachewsky · 8/10 · 4 March 2006]

Such an amazingly shot movie.

The actors were great, and lets admit it, Maya is gorgeous.

I rented this from a small rental place here in Edmonton called The Lobby, that rents all sorts of cult films.

Seriously a great watch. Probably only good for one watch, but worth it.

the artwork was gorgeous as well. anyone who likes body art will think they're great, and then hide them a little more.

If you get the chance to watch this I totally suggest it. A great gate way into horror films in Germany.

Witty characters with startling depth, decent writing, GREAT acting, and wonderful set effects. keep an eye out for this great movie.

Strong thriller, might be too slow for some

[boris-1 · 8/10 · 10 April 2002]

The Story:

A woman is running naked through the streets, her back skinned. She is run over by a bus and only by accident the torture she went through is detected. Investigation leads into snuff porno and tattoo-trades, with junkies selling their skin for fix. The center of the story is the 13th tattoo by a famed japanese artist, with all the wearers of the other 12 being killed or missed.

The Execution:

If you thought Se7en with it´s rainsoaked and dirty pictures of New York has the most depressing setting ever, think twice. The streets of Berlin are not only filmed exclusively with rain, but mostly at night which makes me wonder who anyone can watch this film on the small screen esp. as VHS-cassette... We have a lot of similarities here between Se7en and Tattoo, which are - with the exception of the parcel scene - so cleverly made that it´s not too obvious. Performances are strong throughout, with Redel being very, very good as maturing rookie. American Audiences will not like the slow pace, the sometimes meditative mood, of this movie.

The Verdict:

I gave it 8. It was good to see such a movie on the big screen. It´s a strong, clever thriller with a good script, locations and actors. I´m waiting for the sequel.

Read between the lines

[kosmasp · 8/10 · 29 December 2021]

That's tattoo lines, if you didn't get the pun. Having said that and while the movie does dish out some cliches - it is quite good. And before I dare say for a german thriller movie, let me not do that and just make it a thriller movie overall. Nudity and violence included if you were wondering.

I rewatched this recently, I remember that I liked it back when I first watched it, but you sometimes can't be sure how a movie ages - or how your perspective on it changes. So I can't say for sure how everyone will be impacted by this or if you even are being impacted at all. But it is a nice little movie that can ... and one that throws a few curveballs at you ... some you probably will see coming ... maybe a few will be a surprise. Hopefully my minor baseball lingo knowledge did not offend you ;)