"Der Fall Gehring" or "Der Mörder ist unter uns" (certainly the former title is better) is a German television film from 2003, so this one will soon have its 15th anniversary. Director Imboden and writer Schmidt are among the most known here in Germany in their respective fields when it comes to small screen productions. Their 90-minute movie here is mostly known today because it has Christoph Waltz in it, but he is also very underused here and evidence of an underwritten character who still rarely makes an impact despite a great deal of screen time. But who could have guessed he'd win 2 Oscars in the decade after this film here. His female co-lead Susanne Schäfer is not too famous really, but maybe you know late actor Frank Giering here who plays a prime suspect in the murder of several women. After a convict tries to kill himself writing in a farewell letter that he is innocent, a prosecutor and medical expert take a look into a case that was actually closed in order to find the real killer.
I must say it was a close call here if I'd give it 2 or 3 stars out of five, but I finally went for the latter because there are no real letdowns here and it was a fairly solid watch. Realism struggles appeared here and there when one suspect married the exact day of one killing years ago and another cannot be guilty because he is in a wheelchair. Or how one suspect character is surprisingly related to one of the investigators. A little less unauthentic coincidence may have helped. But apart from that it is for the most part a well-written and well-acted underseen little movie that has gone a bit forgotten now. I personally believe you can check it out if you like crime-centered films. Just don't expect any greatness here, not even if you like Waltz as much as I do. It is a competent execution, but it is also a film that has no real standouts or letdowns. They preferred being on the safe side instead of taking any risks. It's not a memorable film by any means I must admit, so seeing it once is definitely enough. Go for it.
I must say it was a close call here if I'd give it 2 or 3 stars out of five, but I finally went for the latter because there are no real letdowns here and it was a fairly solid watch. Realism struggles appeared here and there when one suspect married the exact day of one killing years ago and another cannot be guilty because he is in a wheelchair. Or how one suspect character is surprisingly related to one of the investigators. A little less unauthentic coincidence may have helped. But apart from that it is for the most part a well-written and well-acted underseen little movie that has gone a bit forgotten now. I personally believe you can check it out if you like crime-centered films. Just don't expect any greatness here, not even if you like Waltz as much as I do. It is a competent execution, but it is also a film that has no real standouts or letdowns. They preferred being on the safe side instead of taking any risks. It's not a memorable film by any means I must admit, so seeing it once is definitely enough. Go for it.
