“Crime Scene: Tyrant Murder”
How will the new Falke crime thriller be?
Wotan Wilke Möhring as Commissioner Thorsten Falke in the new “Tatort: Tyrannicide”.
© NDR/Marc Meyerbroeker
Thorsten Falke is more or less on his own in the far north in the new “Tatort: Tyrannicide”. Is it worth turning on?
Rarely has the beginning of a “Tatort” film been more topical than the first few minutes of “Tyrant Murder”: A school class discusses whether killing a dictator can prevent worse things from happening and whether the act would be morally reprehensible. Who would have thought just a few weeks ago that this question could suddenly become so topical in the middle of Europe.
But as the film progresses, the new case of Thorsten Falke (Wotan Wilke Möhring, 54) and Julia Grosz (Franziska Weisz, 41) has nothing in common with the red-hot developments in world politics, but it is current and political every second. However, anyone who is a big fan of actress Weisz will be a bit disappointed: her role in “Tyrannenmord” is very manageable. In large parts of the film, Falke investigates without his regular partner.
That’s what “Tatort: Tyrannicide” is about
Thorsten Falke and Julia Grosz are entrusted with a delicate task with the strictest discretion: 17-year-old Juan Mendez has disappeared from a fine boarding school where celebrities and elites from business and politics have their children educated. His father is the ambassador of an authoritarian country whose president is about to come to Germany for a state visit. A questionable despot who rose to fame by arresting and torturing opposition figures and journalists.
While Juan’s girlfriend Hanna fears the worst, Juan’s best friend August suspects that Juan just wanted to avoid the official celebrations of the upcoming state visit. Whatever the reason, Juan’s disappearance puts the couple who run the school in great distress, as the school’s good reputation is their most important asset. In the course of the investigation, the boy’s bodyguard comes under suspicion, especially when a blackmail letter appears: Are Juan’s kidnappers trying to free imprisoned opponents of the regime and journalists?
Is it worth turning on?
In any case. “Tyrannenmord” is a rock-solid film with once again an extremely confident Wotan Wilke Möhring as the inspector, for whom the role seems to be tailor-made more and more. One could almost speak of a prime role when Möhring mimics the taciturn, doubting policeman who, drinking milk and listening to punk rock, solves his cases without much fanfare, including in an odd way, and despite open words is repeatedly praised even by the highest authorities.
The case itself dribbles along for the most part without building up any real suspense curve. The somewhat far-fetched reference to reality with a distant, Spanish-speaking country that is run in an authoritarian manner and sends its boys to school in the far north of Germany also seems somewhat constructed. Even if there are of course parallels with reality, it is assumed that the North Korean dictator Kim Jong-un (38) went to school in Switzerland under a false name. It doesn’t matter: “Tyrannenmord” still offers entertaining entertainment for 90 minutes.