Point Blank (2016 TV Movie) User Reviews

Pretty decent small screen release

[Horst_In_Translation · 6/10 · 14 December 2016]

"Auf kurze Distanz" or "Point Blank" is a German television movie that premiered in March 2016, so as of today it is not even 10 months old. The director is Philipp Kadelbach and the script comes from Oliver Kienle and Holger Karsten Schmidt. Especially Kadelbach and Schmidt have worked on several fairly successful and well-received small screen projects in recent years, so the (awards) success of this 90-minute film we have here should not come as a surprise to anybody. The cast includes actors who should be known to German film buffs, namely Schilling, Hasanovic, Schüle, Hammelstein and Gersak to mention only a few. And these are the ones that really make the film work. The acting is pretty strong here, from everybody involved. Thanks to that, it is also easier to ignore occasional weaknesses with the script. With that I am mostly referring to the way the sports betting mafia in Berlin was depicted in here. I must say I never really managed to develop any interest in this particular aspect, even if the mafia guys gave strong performances. I am of course not an insider on the subject, but to me this plot never felt really realistic or authentic to be honest. But this is the somewhat only criticism I have with this film, even if it's a major one as it's one of the essential aspects of the film. This movie lives through the characters, the ways they were written and performed, and how they interact with each other. The film felt very real with regard to the people in it and I never had the impression that I was watching people perform. The relatively low number of main characters also helps in keeping the attention and being curious about what happens to them next. And eventually, the ending is another piece of evidence that the filmmakers (especially the writers) were not scared of anything in order to get the audience on the edge of their seat. It is a pretty nice crime thriller for sure and there are moments that feel like they have heart or are pretty sad, so the audience also gets emotionally involved. Like I said, the only downside is the entire mafia plot and even I as somebody from Berlin did not end up caring for it although it is set in my city. Other than that, very much worth seeing. Check it out if this is your genre (and you have subtitles).

Close Range

[kosmasp · 5/10 · 2 February 2017]

So this has nothing to do with either Point Blank nor with the Scott Adkins movie Close Range. Although wait, that's not really true. We do have an undercover cop, so I guess Point Blank (english title of the movie) isn't that far fetched. Then again, this covers the illegal betting criminal underworld. And some other stuff.

It's tough to get attached to one person or distinguish between what your job is and what has to be done. Last year saw a fantastic movie called "Infiltrator". Now I don't even want to put those two movie up for comparison, this right here more or less being made for TV. Still the acting in "Auf kurze Distanz" is really something to be afraid of. And not in the good sense. Seldom is there any emotion conveyed, which makes it even harder to actually care for the characters. Overall a shame, because the movie would have something to tell. And a nice ending too - even though you should be able to figure that one out (police work you say?)