“Crime scene: The man
What will the latest Münster crime thriller be like?
Inspector Thiel (Axel Prahl, l. and Professor Boerne (Jan Josef Liefers, M.) together with the man who fell into the jungle: bestselling author Stan Gold (Detlev Buck, r.).
© WDR/Taimas Ahangari
The “Tatort” duo Boerne and Thiel are facing a new test: Who is Stan Gold (Detlev Buck) really? Is it worth turning on?
On Sunday, December 10, 2023, the two cult ““Crime Scene” investigators Boerne and Thiel will be hunting criminals together in Münster for the 44th time from 8:15 p.m. Once again they remain true to themselves: “The Man Who Fell into the Jungle” is once again a wonderfully extravagant crime thriller that… offers enough space for many scenes and dialogues of the usual crime comedy from Münster.
The special thing about the latest case with Axel Prahl (63) and Jan Josef Liefers (59): They were given an actor, Detlev Buck (61), to play the lead role in the episode, who has always stood out for his originality – both as an actor as well as a filmmaker. On paper and at first glance, this seems to fit the Münster “crime scene” like a glove. But more about his exalted role later.
That’s what “Crime Scene: The Man Who Fell into the Jungle” is about
Chief Detective Frank Thiel (Prahl) is confronted with an unusual situation in “Crime Scene: The Man Who Fell into the Jungle”: Instead of solving a murder case, this time he is faced with the task of preventing one. Meanwhile, the forensic doctor Professor Karl-Friedrich Boerne ( Liefers ) is committed to supporting the arts, while his assistant Silke Haller ( ChrisTine Urwurf , 53) goes looking for evidence together with Inspector Mirko Schrader ( Björn Meyer , 34) in order to find out about the potential perpetrator to actually get the job done.
The trigger for these events is Stan Gold (Buck), a son of Münster who was previously thought to be missing, who returns to his birthplace after many years after a plane crash from the depths of the Paraguayan jungle. Gold has not only established himself as a celebrated writer, but has also been appointed town clerk of Münster (thanks to Boerne) – and he is also an old schoolmate of Thiel’s. The strange thing: the artist used to be known as Hotte Koslowski. A rather simple boy and average student who didn’t exactly stand out as being kissed by the muse.
But Gold’s triumph as an actor would have been extremely short-lived had it not been for the courageous intervention of Professor Boerne, who, thanks to his courageous efforts, saved his life at the last second. Shortly after his appointment as city clerk, Gold suffered an almost fatal anaphylactic shock. An accident? An assassination attempt? Or is there something completely different behind it? This incident is just the beginning of a series of dramatic events that entangle Stan Gold, who finds increasingly absurd explanations for the events…
Is it worth turning on?
Yes, just because of Detlev Buck. Both the role and the interpretation of the bizarre Stan Gold fit the cult filmmaker Buck like a glove, who actually makes his very first (real) appearance as an actor in the “Tatort” universe in the latest Münster crime thriller. In 2020 he directed the legendary Udo Lindenberg “Tatort: Everything Comes Back” with Maria Furtwängler (57) in the lead role. However, he himself was only seen there for a few minutes in a mini appearance and can therefore confidently be described as a “Tatort” newcomer.
Now for the first time he slips into a leading role in the episode and, with his style of acting and his entire appearance, ideally complements the sometimes bizarre-seeming Münster “crime scene” with the no less crude main characters Boerne and Thiel. The well-rehearsed duo Lafers and Prahl and Buck turn out to be a tailor-made team that actually leaves fans of the comedy-crime edition within the “Tatort” series wanting more. It’s almost a shame that it will most likely remain a one-off event.
The actual case takes a bit of a back seat due to the concentrated acting presence of the protagonists, but that doesn’t detract from the enjoyment at all. The plot of “The Man Who Fell into the Jungle” confidently leads the viewer through the 90 minutes of Sunday evening crime thrillers with a few suspense curves. The only drawback: You can guess early on in which direction the story will develop. This “crime scene” doesn’t have any real aha effects, but it’s still easy to entertain.