“Polizeiruf 110”: Last case of Lucas Gregorowicz as Commissioner Adam Raczek

“Police call 110” from Frankfurt (Oder)
A commissioner on the brink: Adam Raczek’s last case

Brandenburg commissioners Vincent Ross and Adam Raczek are looking for the murderer of two women. For the senior Raczek, the case becomes a personal challenge – with far-reaching consequences.

What’s the matter?

The body of the Polish geologist Magdalena Nowak is found in a forest in Lusatia. She was smothered with a plastic bag over her head. Before her death, the 29-year-old had been working on a soil report that was to be used in the renaturation and touristic development of a former opencast lignite mine. Not all residents of the town would have benefited from Nowak’s expert opinion. Her friend Tom Grabowski (Patrick Kalupa) would not have been able to implement his planned surf school. But does that make him a killer? Chief Inspector Adam Raczek (Lucas Gregorowicz) and his new colleague Vincent Ross (André Kaczmarczyk) check into a boarding house in the village and begin their investigation. Several men come into their focus. When another female body turns up that was killed in the same way, Raczek and Ross are sure that it must be one and the same perpetrator.

Why is the “Abyss” case worth it?

At first glance they are an unequal duo: On the one hand there is the impulsive chief inspector Adam Raczek, who tends to go it alone, physically tackles a witness in an interrogation and calls his colleague a “smartass”. On the other hand, the sensitive detective candidate Vincent Ross, who applies dark kohl to his eyes, wears a faux fur coat and analyzes his counterpart in depth. The film (director: Stephan Rick, screenplay: Peter Dommaschk and Ralf Leuther) takes a lot of time to draw the two characters and thus brings them closer to the viewer. A merit that is probably also due to the two main actors. “We created a number of moments and dialogues on the set that tell a lot more about Vincent and Adam. The template didn’t allow for this differentiation,” said André Kaczmarczyk, who convincingly embodies Vincent Ross as a gender-fluid investigator. The intense dialogues between Raczek and Ross are among the strongest scenes in the thriller.

What bothers?

Even if the screenwriters tried to keep the viewers on the wrong track or to incorporate new twists: In the end, the case unfortunately remains very transparent from the start.

The commissioners?

The collaboration ended before it really began: Earlier this year, Adam Raczek and Vincent Ross investigated together for the first time. Her second case is also her last – actor Lucas Gregorowicz is leaving the crime series at his own request. Newcomer André Kaczmarczyk initially continues alone. The chief inspector and his young colleague could not become a team in such a short time. This is a pity. Because Vincent Ross is an investigator you want to see more of and who hasn’t been seen in “Polizeiruf 110” before. Adam Raczek, on the other hand, realizes that it’s time for him to say goodbye: he can’t control his pill consumption, struggles with insomnia and listlessness. “How long have we been doing this shit here? And has anything changed for the better?” he asks in one scene. Raczek provides the answers himself.

Turn on or off?

With this case, Lucas Gregorowicz resigned after seven years as Commissioner Adam Raczek. You should not miss that.