Ralph Herforth Movies
- 2008
With an approach that recalls such outings as Monty Python and the Holy Grail (1974) and Robin Hood: Men in Tights (1993), Til Schweiger's zany farce 1 1/2 Knights - In Search of the Ravishing Princess Herzelinde concerns two knights who set out on a heroic mission, to rescue the kidnapped Princess Herzelinde. Given their propensity for klutziness, however, the expedition soon turns into a gag-filled comedy of errors. ~ Nathan Southern, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Til Schweiger, Rick Kavanian, (more)
- 1995
This stylish German thriller from auteur Lars Becker offers a suspenseful look into the world of contemporary gangsters. One particularly clever gang has slipped up and stands trial for smuggling limousines into Eastern Europe as the film opens. Two of the trio, Toni, the leader, and Pepe, his handsome partner, are put away while Guru is freed for lack of evidence. Toni doesn't stay incarcerated long as his gal Mona smuggles a pistol into the prison to help him break out. ~ Sandra Brennan, All Movie Guide
- 2000
Self-conscious German-Turkish hipsters and petty crime rule the day in this gangland piece, the main focus of which is Ertan (Luke Piyes), a young punk who wants to be a bigtime player in his town's drug scene. "Kanak" is a derogatory term for immigrants. ~ Rebecca Flint Marx, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Tyron Ricketts
- 1997
Two terminal patients leave their hospital beds for the open highway in this German road movie, a popular success in Germany. When cancer victim Rudi (Jan Josef Liefers) meets Martin (Til Schweiger), who has a brain tumor, they knock back tequila one night and decide to head north to experience life at the seashore, something Rudi has hoped to do his entire life. However, the car they've stolen belongs to two thieves and contains a million marks. Soon they're being pursued by both thugs and cops. The film's soundtrack includes Bob Dylan's "Knockin' on Heaven's Door". Shown at the 1997 London and AFI/Los Angeles film festivals. ~ Bhob Stewart, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Til Schweiger, Jan Josef Liefers, (more)
- 1998
German-born Turk Faith Akin directed this German crime drama about three friends in Hamburg. Released from prison, Turk Gabriel (Mehmet Kurtulus) is ready for a new start on life. Greek Costa (Adam Bousdoukos) goes with Gabriel's sister Ceyda (Idil Uner). Serb Bobby (Aleksandar Jovanovic) annoys his girlfriend Alice (Regula Grauwiller) by doing jobs for crazed Albanian mobster Muhamer (Ralph Herforth), so Alice turns to Gabriel for comfort. Gabriel hopes to retire to Turkey and open a seaside restaurant. When Costa also joins Muhamer's gang, Gabriel intervenes to save his friends, an action which puts his own future at risk. Shown in competition at the 1998 Locarno Film Festival. ~ Bhob Stewart, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Mehmet Kurtulus, Aleksandar Jovanovic, (more)
- 1993
- R
Everyone on the train to Venice is quite naturally wrapped up in their own concerns. Martin (Hugh Grant), a journalist, is determined to see to it that his book on the neo-Nazis gets into the right hands. Others are on their way to celebrate the Carnivale in Venice, a huge city-wide costume party. A more sinister passenger is found in the watchful man (Malcom McDowell) who never seems to converse or join with any of the others on the train. When a group of skinheads takes over the train, the passengers seem hardly to have noticed. ~ Clarke Fountain, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Hugh Grant, Tahnee Welch, (more)
- 2006
Turkish-born filmmaker Zuli Aladag explores the simmering racial and socioeconomic tensions of the German middle class with this urgent thriller centering on the escalating conflict between an intellectual professor and a drug dealing teen. Simon (August Zirner) is a highly respected professor whose son Felix (Robert Holler) is being harassed by a vicious Turkish street thug named Can (Oktay Ozdemir). When Simon sets out to confront his son's tormentor, it soon becomes obvious that the situation will not be resolved with words. Now, as everyone involved becomes consumed by their own uncontrollable rage, a simply bullying incident rapidly spirals into something much more malevolent. ~ Jason Buchanan, All Movie Guide
The horror film Scratch concerns a group of mutant rats that could quickly destroy a large city. The only two people that can stop them attempt to stay alive while tracking down the madman responsible for the mutation. ~ Perry Seibert, All Movie Guide
The Matrix masterminds Andy and Larry Wachowski usher anime icon Tatsuo Yoshida's classic 1960s-era hit into the new millennium with this family-friendly story of a young racecar driver who takes on the mysterious Racer X in a custom-made, gadget-loaded speed machine named the Mach 5. Speed Racer (Emile Hirsch) is the kind of driver that every wheelman wishes he could be: a born winner whose unbeatable combination of aggression, instinct, and fearlessness always finds him crossing the checkered flag with a comfortable lead. In Speed Racer's mind, the only driver who could present him with any real challenge is his late brother -- the legendary Rex Racer. Rex died in a heated cross-country rally known as The Crucible many years ago, and now his younger sibling is driven to fulfill the legacy that Rex left behind. To this day, Speed Racer is fiercely loyal to family. It was Speed Racer's father, Pops Racer (John Goodman), who designed the unbeatable Mach 5, and even a lucrative offer from racing giants Royalton Industries isn't enough to get the young ace to break his family ties.
Upon turning down Royalton's (Roger Allam) astronomical offer, Speed Racer makes the shocking discovery that the outcomes of the biggest races are being predetermined by a handful of powerful moguls who pad their profits by manipulating the drivers. Realizing that his career would be ruined if word of the fix gets out, Royalton vows that the Mach 5 will never make it to another finish line. Now, the only way for Speed Racer to save the family business and beat Royalton at his own game will be to win the very same race that claimed his brother's life so many years ago. In order to accomplish that formidable feat, however, Speed Racer will not only have to rely on his family and the aid of his longtime girlfriend, Trixie (Christina Ricci), but form a tenuous alliance with his longtime rival -- the mysterious Racer X (Matthew Fox) -- as well. ~ Jason Buchanan, All Movie Guide
Upon turning down Royalton's (Roger Allam) astronomical offer, Speed Racer makes the shocking discovery that the outcomes of the biggest races are being predetermined by a handful of powerful moguls who pad their profits by manipulating the drivers. Realizing that his career would be ruined if word of the fix gets out, Royalton vows that the Mach 5 will never make it to another finish line. Now, the only way for Speed Racer to save the family business and beat Royalton at his own game will be to win the very same race that claimed his brother's life so many years ago. In order to accomplish that formidable feat, however, Speed Racer will not only have to rely on his family and the aid of his longtime girlfriend, Trixie (Christina Ricci), but form a tenuous alliance with his longtime rival -- the mysterious Racer X (Matthew Fox) -- as well. ~ Jason Buchanan, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Emile Hirsch, Christina Ricci, (more)
