Tattoo (2002)

Director:

Robert Schwentke

Writer:

Robert Schwentke (writer)

Release Date:

4 April 2002 (Germany)

Genre:

Drama | Thriller | Crime

Tagline:

Save Your Skin...

Plot Keywords:

Bathtub Scene | Female Nudity | Burn Victim | Ambiguity | Art Collector

Awards:

2 wins & 3 nominations

Cast

August Diehl	...	Marc Schrader
Christian Redl	...	Minks
Nadeshda Brennicke	...	Maya Kroner
Johan Leysen	...	Frank Schoubya
Fatih Cevikkollu	...	Dix
Monica Bleibtreu	...	Kommissarin Roth
Ilknur Bahadir	...	Meltem
Joe Bausch	...	Günzel
Florian Panzner	...	Poscher
Jasmin Schwiers	...	Marie Minks
Gustav-Peter Wöhler	...	Scheck
Ingo Naujoks	...	Stefan Kreiner
Christiane Scheda	...	Lynn Wilson
Wanda Perdelwitz	...	Baby

Runtime:

108 min

Country:

Germany

Language:

German | English | Japanese

Color:

Color

Aspect Ratio:

2.35 : 1

Sound Mix:

Dolby Digital

Certification:

Argentina:16 | Germany:16 | Hong Kong:IIB | Italy:VM14 | New Zealand:R18 | Singapore:M18 | South Korea:18 | UK:18

Filming Locations:

Berlin, Germany

Company:

B.A. Produktion

Trivia:

The tattoos in the "tattoo exhibition room" were produced on actual goat skin.

Goofs:

Continuity: When Marc chases the suspect, who just heard a message on the walkie-talkie and saw him on the balcony, in one shot you can see Marc just turning left the corner and in the subsequent shot he's turning right the same looking corner.

Movie Connections:

References Se7en (1995)

Slick, darkly photogenic but empty thriller

I watched Tattoo expecting a dark, clever European variant on the clichéd serial killer based plots of Hollywood. Though this is nowhere near as awful and obnoxious as American efforts like Twisted, or Taking Lives it is a flawed confection. The film is most enjoyable stylistically. Director Robert Schwentke emphasises visuals and mood over anything else and the result is a flashy, bleakly attractive film with some memorable imagery, most notably a beautiful scene of a tattoo revealed in the rain. There's some grisly gore in the film as well, giving a clutch of arresting moments. The big problems are in the plotting and characterisation. August Diehl and Christian Redl fill out the rookie and troubled veteran roles well, but there is nothing surprising about them, and the film sidelines all characterisation so they seem merely cogs in the machine of the plotting. The plotting is flawed by a mixture of contrivance and predictability, contrivance in that the characters abilities in detection range from almost supernatural in the first half of the film to really inept in the second half so that they can fall prey to the twists of the story. Though the odd curveball is skillfully thrown it is pretty simple figuring out what the score is before the characters do. Still, its all quite watchable and worthwhile at least once. With some great imagery and a well sustained bleak, doom laden feel as well as the odd gruesome jolt, this should provide at the very least some mindless entertainment. Mildly recommended, if this sort of thing grabs you.