Christian Redl Movies

Director Marco Kreuzpaintner adapts author Otfried Preußler's award-winning novel about a young sorcerer's apprentice who rebels against his malevolent master after making a disturbing discovery. The year is 1646. Krabat is a starving fourteen year old orphan from Germany who has struggled for survival after seeing his country decimated by war and disease. One night, a strange voice calls out to Krabat in his dreams, beckoning the destitute child to a mysterious mill in the countryside. When the miller offers Krabat room and board in exchange for becoming an apprentice, the hungry young boy readily accepts. But something isn't quite right in this mill, and Krabat can sense it. He gradually begins to suspect that the eleven other young men who live in the mill are harboring a mysterious secret, suspicions that are later confirmed when the curious newcomer discovers that his fellow apprentices are involved with some truly bizarre activities. Upon further inquiry, Krabat discovers that the miller is in fact a master of the dark arts, and that the young men who reside in the mill are his students. Fascinated by their magic and eager to belong, Krabat accepts their invitation to become a member of their secret society. When Krabat discovers that his new master's plans could spell doom for his protector and best friend Tonda, however, realizes that in order to save Tonda he will somehow have to break free of the malevolent sorcerer's powerful grip. ~ Jason Buchanan, Rovi

A dark and gruesome thriller reminiscent of David Fincher's Seven, this freshman effort from German director Robert Schwentke finds an unmotivated young detective roped into helping a seasoned veteran solve a case in which people are literally skinned for their tattoos and brutally murdered. Schrader (August Diehl) is a lazy, hard-partying cop who barely passed his academy training, only to settle in for an undemanding desk job upon graduation. His bid for the easy life is soon spoiled when Chief Inspector Minks (Christian Redl) blackmails him into working for homicide after catching him in possession of drugs at an illegal nightclub. Soon discovering a group of underground art enthusiasts who covet a series of 12 tattoos detailed by a mysterious and since-deceased Japanese artist, the duo subsequently discovers a heretofore-unknown 13th tattoo by the artist adorning the body of beautiful Maya (Nadeshda Brennicke). As Schrader enters into a dangerous and heated affair with Maya, the case tumbles headlong into a tense climax when the group discovers that their collection is incomplete. ~ Jason Buchanan, Rovi

Acclaimed German director Soenke Wortmann spins this cleverly constructed, sumptuously shot crime drama set in St. Pauli, Hamburg's notorious red light district. The film opens with a gang of thugs dumping someone's ashes in the harbor. One of the group, brash punk Johnny (Benno Fuermann) crosses town in a cab driven by Robby (Ill-young Kim). As the film jumps from one story to the next, Robby and his taxi emerge as the central thread that holds the film together. Later, a naked man with a gun terrorizes a crowded street and accidentally kills Johnny. The film immediately dives into the naked man's history before moving on to the movie's sundry other outcasts and miscreants such as brassy transvestite Roberta, disaffected punk Sven, and sleazy club owner Billi. With a cool, almost clinical eye, Wortmann artfully cuts back and forth through both space and time as his characters are systematically picked off. ~ Jonathan Crow, Rovi

A burnt-out Berlin cop investigating his 652nd case slowly loses the ability to discern the differences between the grim realities of the job and a decaying personal life as his mental instability grows progressively worse. His latest case is particularly nasty and puzzling, but Detective Bernie Kominka (Gotz George) finds himself strangely pleased, for it distracts him from his tumultuous home life wherein his wife grows fussy and distant, and his nearly lunatic son proclaims his undying hatred for him. The mystery involves the apparently sexually-motivated mutilation, beating death, and robbery of a young man. During his initial investigation of the crime scene, Kominka notes a yellow umbrella that is surreptitiously picked up by a young woman. While vainly searching for clues, Kominka's marriage finally crumbles, but not before he is suspended by his boss/brother-in-law Hecht (Christian Redl) during a heated argument. With no work and no family, Kominka, who seems to be teetering on the brink of a breakdown without realizing it himself, starts looking for the woman and the missing umbrella. During his search, he learns that the victim's ex-wife has become a suspect and that the deceased had been selling his son to pedophiles. Kominka finds the woman, Anna Weller (Corinna Harfouch) soon enough. A recent divorcée, she is as vulnerable and fragile as he is. Without identifying himself as a cop, Kominka picks Anna up at a singles bar and the two embark upon a decidedly sexual and unhealthy relationship that only worsens the situation. ~ Sandra Brennan, Rovi

Recalling Czech crowd-pleaser Kolya (1996), German director Christian Diedrichs creates this heartwarming tale about a depressed widower and a mute child. Since his wife died of cancer three years ago, Federmann (Christian Redl) has felt empty and lost. During the days, he drives the No. 18 tram through eastern Berlin, and at nights he drinks at a local pub as Dora (Teresa Harder), a love-struck bargirl, looks on. His life suddenly changes when he thinks that he hit a child with his trolley. Escaping the suspicious eye of a cop, he takes the child from the hospital to his flat. The result breathes life into Federmann. ~ Jonathan Crow, Rovi

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, Rovi

Fred left his working-class neighborhood in the north of Germany in order to take advantage of an opportunity to earn a lot of money in Africa as a truck driver. He believed then that money would solve a lot of the problems he was facing. However, when he comes home to his wife with the money, she sends him away. An old girlfriend wants a settled married life which he is unable to provide. Even his old buddies can't get on with him anymore. His brief experience of larger horizons has changed him too much for them to relate with him easily. Instead of improving his life, it seems that his sojourn in the south has eliminated it entirely, leaving him (metaphorically) holding a bag with only money in it. ~ Clarke Fountain, Rovi