Christiane Kruger Movies

A man discovers the difference between lust and love isn't as simple as he thought in this romantic comedy from Germany. Bob (Gregor Torzs) is a self-styled ladies' man in his mid-twenties who is making a concerted effort to settle down by marrying his girlfriend Claudia (Miriam Lahnstein). Claudia loves Bob so much she's getting breast implants in hopes that a more substantial bosom will encourage him to stick around. However, one morning Bob spots Barbara (Martina Gedeck) on the bus and is immediately infatuated; he chats her up and they go so far as to get a motel room before she calls things off. Bob is intrigued, however, and wants to know more about her; he discovers she's a bit older than he expected -- and the slightly insecure mother of three children. But as Bob and Barbara become better acquainted, they discover a real attraction has grown between them, and Bob has to decide just how he feels about Barbara before meeting Claudia at the altar. Alles Bob won enthusiastic reviews for Martina Gedeck's well-nuanced performance as Barbara. ~ Mark Deming, All Movie Guide

The crimes and tragedies that tear apart one family seem overblown in the telling, yet this psychological drama about the miseries of one French policeman is compelling throughout. Jean (Pierre Arditi) is a cop and also a failed novelist who was abandoned by his father, brother, and sister after his mother died. The trio move to Paris where they set up an art scam that nets them considerable cash -- something Jean begins to figure out when he joins them for a family reunion. Little by little, he learns that his father is an expert forger, his stepmother's art gallery seems to be involved in the scam, his brother is a derelict and into drugs, his stepmother is a hooker in addition to all of this, and his sister runs an exercise gym for keeping prostitutes in shape. Things get worse -- just when everything seems bad enough, the stepmother is murdered and it is up to Jean to find the killer. ~ Eleanor Mannikka, All Movie Guide

Unusual because it has no spoken dialogue, Dernier Combat effectively chronicles the fate of a handful of people after a worldwide disaster has left the planet desolate and bleak and the people physically unable to speak. A young man (Pierre Jolivet) longs for female companionship and so he puts together a serviceable plane and flies to the remains of a city where survivors live in the ruined hulks of cars -- or wherever they can. The problem is that there are very few women to be found here as well. After the young man enters the city, he comes across an older doctor who has returned to his psychiatric clinic and is barricaded there, defending the clinic against the attacks of a violent barbarian intent on further destruction. This murderous aggressor is not only after the doctor but also a women who is hiding in the clinic -- and when the young man joins up with the doctor and sees the woman, his future takes a new course. Le Dernier Combat (also known as The Last Battle) was the first feature-length film by a 24-year-old Luc Besson (The Big Blue, La Femme Nikita, The Fifth Element). The film won two major prizes at the 1983 Avoriaz Science Fiction Film Festival, and collected more than 18 prizes at other international festivals -- though it was overlooked by France's Caesars and the U.S. Academy Awards. ~ Eleanor Mannikka, All Movie Guide

Male astronauts rebel against the oppression and subjugation they are subjected to after their ship crash-lands and strands them on Medusa, a planet ruled by women. ~ Sandra Brennan, All Movie Guide

James Coburn stars as Robert Eliot, an opportunistic entrepreneur destined to become a key Presidential advisor -- if his murky past isn't brought to light first. ~ Jason Ankeny, All Movie Guide

Good performances are said to have lifted the German crime drama Heisse Spur St. Pauli beyond the limits of its fairly conventional story. Two brothers, who are a different as night and day, are fated for a reunion. One of them is a decent enough fellow; he drives a taxi and is trying to save money to start his own business. The other has just escaped prison, and is after his brother's money. The convict's wife is separated from him, and the taxi-driving brother has been courting her. That's reason enough for the convict to hold her hostage in order to get his brother's money. ~ Clarke Fountain, All Movie Guide

Keir Dullea dives into a bevy of babes with an open wine bottle as the notorious Marquis de Sade in this low-budget debauch from American International Pictures -- purveyors of fine entertainment morsels for the connoisseur. The film takes place as an extended flashback after de Sade has escaped from a madhouse and taken refuge in the dilapidated mansion where he was reared. In his flashback, de Sade recalls how the Abbe de Sade (John Huston) used to have a maid whip him until he began to like it. Of course, after that, the next step down the primrose path was flagellation and orgies. Finally sent to a French jail for lewd behavior, de Sade begins to write anti-government creeds to while away the hours. After his release, he is compelled to marry the repulsive Renee de Montreuil (Anna Massey). De Sade goes along with the marriage in order to get closer to her sister Anne (Senta Berger). In spite of that, de Sade continues to seek out various forms of softcore sex. But then the Black Plague hits. ~ Paul Brenner, All Movie Guide

In this German film, Geissler is hired by gangster Krueger to go to Rome and buy secret documents. Although Krueger's daughter accompanies him, he kills the courier after reaching Rome and keeps the money. He decides to sell secret documents to a better buyer, even if the risks are greater. ~ Iotis Erlewine, All Movie Guide