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Der Kommissar - Das Messer im Geldschrank
episode 2
West Germany 1969
produced by Helmut Ringelmann for Neue Münchner Fernsehproduktion/ZDF
directed by Wolfgang Becker
starring Erik Ode, Günther Schramm, Reinhard Glemnitz, Fritz Wepper, Emily Reuer, Helma Seitz, Rosemarie Fendel, Ann Smyrner, Lukas Ammann, Wolfgang Völz, Herbert Bötticher, Michael Maien, Trude Breitschopf, Sadi Metzger
written by Herbert Reinecker, series created by Helmut Ringelmann, Herbert Reinecker, music by Herbert Jarczyk, title theme by Herbert Jarczyk
TV-series Der Kommissar, Harry Klein
review by Mike Haberfelner
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One morning when doing her rounds at a night club, a cleaning lady
(Trude Breitschopf) finds one of the hostesses (Sadi Metzger), dead. And
since Inspector Keller (Erik Ode) of Homicide is down with the cold, and
all of his other assistants are on assignments, it's up to young Harry
Klein (Fritz Wepper) to collect all the evidence - and he does a good job
but fails to make all the right connections, like why is the bar owner
Brandic (Lukas Ammann) so protective of his younger brother Juri (Michael
Maien), how can the barkeeper Sommer (Wolfgang Völz) afford such a fancy
car, what's the deal with weirdo pianist Benitz (Herbert Bötticher), and
how did the dead girl's coat get to her apartment while she was found at
the bar? To make sense of it all, Keller quickly recovers, visits the bar
undercover, and manages to befriend hostess Marion (Ann Smyrner), who
actually takes him home after work - her home being the apartment she
shared with the dead girl. And amond the possessions of the dead girl he
finds an envelope containing a ridiculous amount of money - and quickly
makes the connection that the dead girl, Juri and Sommer must have run a
blackmailing racket. Keller has the bar searched, and in the place's safe
the murder weapon is found, but without any fingerprints on it - which
implies that somebody has planted it there to frame Brandic, but Brandic
insists nobody could have known the combination for the safe - nobody of
course but Benitz, who has clear view of the safe from his piano. And in a
final reveal for which Keller gathers all involved, Marion is indentified
as the murderer, apparently she has killed the victim during an argument
at their shared apartment - and then asked Benitz, who has always had a
soft spot for her, to help her get the body back to the bar ... It's
pretty much a typical Der Kommissar episode: The whole
thing's a bit convoluted, the murder at its center very contrived, many of
the characters unnaturally eccentric, some of the dialogue stilted, and
the resolution pulled out of the hat rather than worked at. And these are
all aspects that actually make this episode and the series as such so
endearing (at least from a nostalgic point of view) - coupled with
likeable lead characters that is, and a solid, almost cinematic
directorial effort.
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