Revanche (2008)

"Alex" (Johannes Krisch) is the sort of ex-con to be avoided at all costs! Almost every thing he touches turns to mince - and that proves especially true after he and girlfriend "Tamara" (Irina Potapenko) decide they have had enough of the brothel in which they both work (he doesn't sell himself, in case you were wondering) so he robs a bank and they hope to flee the country. Thing is, he'd only gone and left the getaway car - and her - in a no parking zone and attracted the attentions of a police man (Andreas Lust) whom they leave spreadeagled on the ground as they drive away. He can still aim, though - and a tragedy strikes that sets the tone for the remainder of the drama as he vacillates on thoughts of revenge. That opportunity emerges from a most unlikely source as it transpires that his dad is pals with the cop's wife "Susanne" (Ursala Strauss). You can sort of guess the rest as "Alex" turns his initial thoughts of vengeance into something altogether more romantically complex with plenty of sex thrown in for good measure. Though it's a violent story, there's precious little actual violence in the film - it's more a roller-coaster of emotions as the man deals with an unexpectedly profound grief and regret amidst a seedy and drug-riddled environment. There isn't a great deal of dialogue which adds quite a bit to the intensely characterised and visualised roles of "Alex" and "Susanne", and we have a few welcome interventions from Johannes Thanheiser's "Hausner" whose estranged relationship with his son ("Alex") also evolves quite poignantly. What you do notice after about half an hour is the music. There's isn't any. It's all natural sound, and that also gives the film some extra focus and puts way more emphasis on the quality of photography and the acting. It is too long - once you've seen a man chop a log, etc. - and could lose twenty minutes I reckon without impacting on the pace or the plot, but it's still a thriller with a difference, and is worth a watch.