Im Schatten (2010) User Reviews

A straight-up crime film

[hudsonwa · 7/10 · 13 March 2010]

Im Schatten is a work of classicism – a straight-up crime film juxtaposing the mechanics of a career outside the law with clear-eyed views of industrial Berlin.

The protagonist, Trojan (Mišel Matičević), is a professional who always acts purposefully, with control and precision. An effective, propulsive score describes a life of constant motion; and photography of fluorescent interiors (shot with a Red camera) perfectly captures a world where night always reigns.

Real crime, we are reminded, is seldom a solo act. Like any other human endeavor, crime is a collaborative business where you need confidence in your colleagues and careful analysis of strengths, weaknesses, opportunities and threats.

Crime movie at its most essential

[Horst_In_Translation · 6/10 · 25 February 2017]

"Im Schatten" or "In the Shadows" is a German German-language film from 2010 already. It is among the more known and more recent works by writer and director Thomas Arslan ("Gold"). This is the story of a man released out of jail and what happens when crime seems to cross his way once again. It becomes clear pretty quickly that there is no way out for him and that his past will always be an essential part of his present. Anyway, the cast includes a handful pretty well-known names at least here in Germany, namely Maticevic, Eichhorn, Bohm, Bock, Zischler, Kurth... They all are the reason why this turns out pretty nicely. The fact that the film barely makes it past the 80-minute mark means that it is a very essential movie. A lot happens in here frequently and it still does not feel for the sake of it. It is basically a crime drama at its most essential. Arslan wasn't scared of people dying and he had no time for stupid romance plots or at least not putting them in the center of his movies. As a side-plot, the story between the prosecutor and the protagonist works nicely. By the way, this film does not shed a positive light at all at the good side of the law with what we see from law and order in here. They are just as corrupt and breaking the law as much as the bad guys, not even being scared of murder.

Anyway, overall I enjoyed the watch here. It is a film that does not really have any component being really great or so, but it all works nicely like a puzzle that consists of the action, the characters, the acting, the script and the direction. Maybe other lead actors could have made this more interesting and more gritty even, but Maticevic wasn't bad at all either and is one of the bigger successes from the film. So what else is there to say. I believe it shows how experienced Arslan and the cast are in here and I was curious what would happen next most of the time. You knew very quickly that this isn't a film that goes for forced unrealistic sequences, let alone happy ending. And even if I would not put it among my favorites of the year (at least not globally), I think this is a good watch for everybody who likes the genre or the actors. Go check it out. You will most likely not be disappointed.

Usain BOLT and the BERLINER SCHULE

[ZeddaZogenau · 10/10 · 18 October 2023]

Berlin school goes genre film - Thomas Arslan's gangster film "In the Shadow"

While Usain Bolt becomes a legend at the 2009 World Athletics Championships in Berlin's Olympic Stadium, Small-time gangster Trojan (played by the great Misel Maticevic), comes up with new plans to make ends meet. In doing so, he comes across supporters and opponents. Trojan doesn't shy away from violence either. It happens as it has to in a gangster film.

With great attention to detail, closely observed and cast with fantastic actors (including Karoline Eichhorn and Rainer Bock), the German director Thomas Arslan depicts the life of a criminal in modern Berlin. Although we have rarely seen the capital on the big screen. Cold, distant, without a glimmer of hope!

At the 2010 Berlinale, Arslan, a representative of the Berlin School, presented his first genre film, which proves that even the seemingly passive observations of the Berlin School can be used to tell stories with high tension. A great film that raises hopes that German cinema will rediscover genre films and add new facets that can only be found here in Germany.

View! Amaze! Immediately! Absolute recommendation!

Watchable but not reaching the greatness at all

[MovieIQTest · 22 September 2022]

The tempo of this movie is kinda slow but will make you keep watching. The structure of the scenarios and the plot are loosely knitted but the cool cast of the leading actor is a surplus. There are moments that you might lose your interest to go on since there's actually not too much going, except car followings in the city; they are not even high-speed chases. The camera work is pretty cool with great angles and lights. It gives you an impression that behind the normal activities of a big city, there's always something illegally going on. I am not keen to the final process, cops just show up at the cabin. Where they got the tips? The crooked detective sit in the car day and night, he doesn't even have to report to his police station? Usually, detectives not working alone, they always have a partner, so where's his partner? How he so miraculously find all the people he wants to tail and always know where his targets would show up and how he so easily to know the unit numbers of his preys, showing up or breaking into without difficulties at all? There are tons of loose and unexplained holes almost in every segment of the movie but the worst part is the final ending. He just keeps driving to somewhere only he knows. Now he suddenly becomes a suspect of a hold-up, multiple murders wanted by the police for nothing, since he escapes the search of the cops at his cabin, he can't even get his bags and guns in time. Why the screenplay writers don't give him a chance to go to that guy who hired killers to kill him?

So the movie just turned out to be a lukewarm going-nowhere thriller. It gave you a hollow feeling when the movie ended, not excited at all.