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12 out of 16 people found the following review useful: Finally a hip Euro-Thriller that's worth watching, 19 October 2002 Author: Ebonsun from Kansas City, Missouri
Though this movie does have more than passing similarities to David Fincher's SE7EN, I feel that comparing the two is unfair and, in my opinion, downright unwise. It is true that TATTOO unfolds in an ever rainy cityscape; follows the lives of two police detectives (with a vast generation and experience gap) while they chase a killer. And yes, it plays its drama out amidst a seedy German underworldHowever, what transpires amidst this spectacularly visualized tapestry full of rave parties, torture chambers, skin rooms, and body modification cliques willing to sell the tattoos off their body for quick cash, is vastly different in tone and theme from Fincher's 'who done it, and why' police procedural. Here the characters are not shown as black and white, but rather in shades of gray. Their lives, their dilemmas, are the real story. Even the reasons for the killings are presented in such a way that makes you understand, if not empathize, with those that a standard Hollywood picture would casually demonize. This element of moral ambiguity, under the remarkably controlled direction of Schwentke, creates a dark, cold, and subtly stylized world, that surprisingly plays as very very real.It is encouraging to see a European film with the refined sensibility of European cinema combined so adeptly with a genre so intrinsically American. It is also hard to believe that this is Schwentke's directorial debut. (I for one will keep my eye on him.)It's a remarkable film, and I certainly hope it blows the doors open for other genre films shot in Germany, and in Europe as a whole. Not since viewing Spoorloos (The Vanishing) have I been so impressed. If you have a chance, don't hesitate to catch it on the big screen. It's gorgeous, it's ballsy, and it's worth it.
9 out of 11 people found the following review useful: Flames, art and tattoos., 4 September 2002 Author: (maria@xxedgexx.com) from Sweden
Lynn is a woman with a very delicate and exclusive japanese tattoo on her body. The art and class of the tattoo is so fine that a collector pays enormous amounts of money to obtain the skin art. That means ripping it of the living body in Lynn's case.This is a German crime-movie about two cops (and not the ordinary ones) solving the mystery of the 12 missing bodies/tattoos. Who is the collector, and how can they get in touch with him?The estethic of the movie is beautiful if you ask me. Though it is very in-your-face and raw to some people I can belive. Flames of fire and blood is the theme in contrast to stiff, clean German architecture.I enjoyed this movie a lot and it was althrough an exiting piece of art./Maria
7 out of 9 people found the following review useful: Germany's answer to SE7EN!, 25 February 2002 Author: (prvtjoker@aol.com) from Los Angeles
I had the pleasure of seeing the directorial debut of Robert Schwentke, TATTOO, over the weekend at the American Film Market in Santa Monica. And what a pleasure it was. Imagine the most gruesome horror film you can, conceived and shot with the eye and soul of an artist, and you begin to get the picture of this twisted tale of two cops investigating the trade in tattoo-adorned human skins. While the script occasionally slips into standard genre territory (it is, after all, essentially a "two cops after a killer movie"), the film itself is so riveting, shocking, and massively entertaining that any small flaws can be easily overlooked. I understand it comes out in Europe this spring - let's hope a North American release isn't far behind, because Schwentke is a director to watch, and if his debut is any indication, he is well on his way to becoming a world-class filmmaker.
3 out of 3 people found the following review useful: Dark, atmospheric and brooding euro-horror / thriller, 13 April 2007 Author: DVD_Connoisseur from England
"Tattoo" is a first class macabre psychological horror movie / thriller from director Robert Schwentke. From the start, its cold colour palette and distanced camera-work create a dark and sinister atmosphere. Nightclub life in the world of "Tattoo" appears depressing and emotionless. This is a world where there is little laughter, only pain.Schwentke manages to create an on-screen world where the fantastic events of this tale seem believable. Inspired by the German expressionist movement, it's a fantastic achievement and although comparisons will always be made with Fincher's "Se7en", I think "Tattoo" is the superior film.The cast are excellent. August Diehl plays the young cop who is blackmailed into joining Christian Redl on the grittier side of police work. Diehl's first case is the murder of a young woman who was into self-mutilation and who died shortly after biting off a man's finger...and swallowing it. The beautiful Nadeshda Brennicke plays Maya Kroner whose secrets take the story in an exciting and unpredictable direction.While the subject of people being murdered for their tattoos is not new (Roald Dahl's short-story "Skin" covers the same ground), the film's plot is gripping and effectively told.After viewing this film shortly after "Antikörper" and "Kontroll," it would appear that some of the best psychological horror films of the noughties are coming out of Europe. Rich on atmosphere and slightly other-worldly, these films are a delight to watch.9 out of 10.
5 out of 7 people found the following review useful: I LOVED THIS MOVIE!, 16 March 2004 Author: Roz Tillman (roztill@pacbell.net) from Los Angeles
Saw this flick at a funky theater in Pasadena, California known for showing art-type films.I thought this film was very well made. OK, the ending was slightly ambiguous, but who cares. The story, character development, acting were great and the production value was high. It was beautifully shot, lit, directed, edited and the music was great. Was hoping to get to see it again but it left the theatre before I had a chance. I am a big fan of this genre and most are not of the level of quality of TATTOO.Am I the only person who liked this movie this much? And I don't even have a tattoo.Anybody know if this film can be rented or purchased?roz tillman
6 out of 9 people found the following review useful: A Film of Artful Surfaces and Harrowing Underneaths, 10 October 2002 Author: Mitch-93
If David Fincher's SE7EN was a mystery shot through the prism of 70s American crime films, then Robert Schwentke's TATTOO is a mystery shot through the prism of 70's European art films. The comparisons are inescapable, it shares SE7EN's dark look, dual detectives, mid-point chase and "something in a box" as well as its meticulous, exacting direction, but it is a very different film with very different thematic agendas. This German film about a secret market in skin and its thematic concerns of guilt, conformity, identity, violence and heritage suggest obvious connections to the Third Reich and the current crisis of east/west reintegration of culture. This rich thematic tapestry is held together by one of the most precise, stylish and icily dreamlike directorial debuts to be seen in decades. Shades of Antonioni and Cronenberg, as well as Tourneur and Hitchcock inform a style which is never imitative and truly hypnotic. Strong, understated performances ground the film, which stumbles only in a pre-climax exposition scene that feels shoe-horned in, for until that point, every piece of information is earned and visually realized. Schwentke is a director to watch; provocative, thoughtful and clearly in love with the art of cinema.
1 out of 1 people found the following review useful: Slick, darkly photogenic but empty thriller, 4 September 2008 Author: t-birkhead from United Kingdom
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.
1 out of 1 people found the following review useful: Lacks logic, 30 July 2008 Author: largo-9 from Istanbul
*** This review may contain spoilers ***
The directorial debut of Schwentke is no-doubt a very well shot movie. It looks beautiful, ıts atmosphere is intriguing, the score and soundtrack is perfect match and the acting is above average.. whoever succeeds in shooting a movie that looks like this as a debut is deemed to be a very successful director. thats for sure.. His obssesion with reflections can be tiring from time to time but Schwentke handles this so delicately this trademark of his never feels repetitive..It is nearly impossible to think of someone who would not wonder about Schwentke's next project after watching Tattoo. So after so much praise lets come to the negatives. I will say only one thing: story.. It is full of nonsense. Minks a cop of years of experience on the streets can not locate his own daughter but the younger cop who is asked to help find her in a day.. and hey she was working as a bartender in a nightclub. But a 20 year veteran detective who seems to live to find his daughter can not locate her..? Actually I myself had difficulty in following the plot but the movie gives you the understanding that the police in Germany is really really incompetent--no offense to the Polizie it is just what the movie suggests..-- 12 deads, one dead detective and his daughter and still no one seems to care including the chief..? I think with a stronger screenplay this movie had the potential to be a classic especially with the direction of Schwentke.. A solid 7.5
1 out of 1 people found the following review useful: disturbing, 27 April 2008 Author: dbborroughs from Glen Cove, New York
German made thriller about a killer with connections to Tattoos. When a body turns up burned and mutilated, with a chunk of skin missing, a senior cop blackmails a younger cop into helping him try and find the killer, as well as another missing girl gone two years. The investigation leads to several other bodies all with missing tattoos. Dark thriller that was explained to me as in the vein of Seven. I don't think so. It is a dark and disturbing little thriller that isn't particularly happy. Very well made and well acted the film is a bit too much form over substance at times, with its dark brooding passages and very deliberate set design. Its not bad but it kind of lessons the thrills since the film seems at times more intent on looking good. It also doesn't help that the who of the who done it is a bit too clear. Still its worth a look for those who like gritty, good looking thrillers that are a bit on the squishy side.
3 out of 5 people found the following review useful: Dark and stylish, 26 May 2004 Author: Musashi Zatoichi (info@dvdstockholm.com) from Stockholm
When the police raid an underground rave, newly graduated police officer Marc has to make himself (and his drugs) scarce. However, his stash is uncovered by Detective Minks who presents Marc with an ultimatum: join the homicide team in a particularly gruesome and dangerous serial murder case or lose his fledgeling career. Marc is soon aware that Minks' missing daughter holds the key to a grisly trade in decorated human skin and faces a sole operation to protect the innocent in danger and expose the head of the organisation...Dark and stylish, this brooding psychological 'Se7en' style thriller will make your skin crawl as it twists and turns its way towards an unforgettably chilling climax.
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