The “crime scene” in a quick check The world is ending trashily
By Julian Vetten January 27, 2024, 3:16 p.m. Listen to article
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In Saarland, police officers are not only driving around stolen bank millions, but are also fighting a personal battle against a gang of gambling addicts. You can think that’s a good thing, but you don’t have to.
In Saarland, police officers are not only driving around stolen bank millions, but are also fighting a personal battle against a gang of gambling addicts. You can think that’s a good thing, but you don’t have to.
What happens?
After Inspector Leo Hölzer (Vladimir Burlakov) learns that colleague Adam Schürk (Daniel Sträßer) is driving the 1.2 million loot from his late father’s bank robbery around in the trunk, the bromance of the two investigators is in serious danger. Disillusioned and lost in thought, Hölzer is walking along a country road when he is almost run over by a pickup truck whose driver is driving with his eyes closed and is being cheered on by three friends. Seconds later he hears a crash.
When he arrived at the scene of the accident, the inspector found a completely destroyed small car and a dead woman. He is certain that the culprits are the same ones who almost ran him over and embarks on a personal crusade to hunt them down. His first clue leads him to the Saarbrücken casino and to a gang of four who are always looking for the next thrill – and in the process put themselves and others in ever greater danger.
What is it really about?
Hölzer comes dangerously close to the behavior of a gambling addict.
(Photo: SR / Manuela Meyer)
About gambling addiction and the restoration of justice – and how far you can go until it becomes the exact opposite. “The special thing is that Leo has to shed more and more of his supposed virtues and acquire characteristics from Adam, while he takes on responsibility and suddenly looks after his friend,” says director Christian Theede, summarizing the approach of the Saarbrücken “crime scene”. However, because of the increasingly absurd and unintentionally funny bets that Leo and his gang of players throw themselves into, the main motif fades into the background.
Wegzapp-Moment?
There are a lot of weird scenes, but the one in which Hölzer bugs the gang in the casino stands out in terms of embarrassing others: “Why are you annoying me now? When I was just about to bet 100,000…”
Wow-Factor?
The previous episodes have shown that Saarbrücken is a festival for location scouts with a penchant for industrial ruins. The many great locations in “The Curse of Money” underline this, especially the abandoned foundry.
How is it?
“The Curse of Money” is once again a “crime scene” that needs more than one rating. Anyone who sits down in front of the TV with trash glasses, enough beer and good friends will be brilliantly entertained: 8 out of 10 points, because everything is unbelievable without exception. The “crime scene”, at least after a thorough study of the press kit and film, seems to mean everything or at least a lot of things seriously. And audiences who are hoping for a solid Sunday evening crime thriller are more likely to give it 2 out of 10 points.