“Tatort” from Stuttgart
Hit and run with consequences: A lawyer loses his nerve
The Stuttgart commissioners Thorsten Lannert (Richy Müller) and Sebastian Bootz (Felix Klare) at the scene of the accident
© SWR/Benoît Linder / ARD
A lawyer causes an accident and commits a hit and run. While he tries to cover up the crime, the Stuttgart inspectors Lannert and Bootz have to prove that it was murder and not a traffic offence.
- 3 out of 5 points
- A man makes a mistake – the film discusses in detail what the consequences are for him and those around him
What’s the matter?
It’s pitch black and it’s raining cats and dogs. Lawyer Ben Dellien (Nicholas Reinke) just wants to get home to his heavily pregnant wife and two older children. He races down the country road in his car at excessive speed, while doing a business appointment on the phone. A loud bang forces him to slow down. Dellien caught a man pushing his bike and walking along the curb. Instead of checking how the victim is doing, he gets in his car and drives away. Was it a traffic accident or murder? The Stuttgart investigators Thorsten Lannert (Richy Müller) and Sebastian Bootz (Felix Klare) have to deal with this question. For her colleague, forensic pathologist Dr. For Daniel Vogt (Jürgen Hartmann), the answer is clear: “If the person who caused the accident had stopped and taken care of his victim, the man would still be alive.” While lawyer Dellien does everything to cover up his actions, the detectives must find ways to convict him.
Why is the case “The Killer in Me” worthwhile?
It’s not a classic whodunit, the culprit is clear from the start. Rather, it is the personal destinies of three families that are the focus here and are tragically connected through a brief moment of inattention. First, there’s attorney Ben Dellien, the perpetrator. He and his wife – also a lawyer – lead a privileged life that is now beginning to falter. After the hit-and-run, one action after another follows, and Dellien’s problems keep getting bigger. Laura Rensing (Tatiana Nekrasov), an acquaintance of the Dellien family, is also affected. She knows more about the accident than she’s letting the police know, getting herself into trouble. And finally the relatives of the victim, who are also linked by a tragic family history.
What bothers?
A lawyer losing his nerve after a hit and run? The film is vaguely reminiscent of the brilliant series “Your Honor” with Sebastian Koch, which was shown on ARD in April of this year. In a six-episode miniseries, however, there was more time to explore the subject in more depth. The end in the “crime scene” is abrupt. Also unsatisfactory is the character of the young inspector candidate Marlene Teichert (Julia Dorothee Brunsch), who is portrayed as an overly committed, staid pain in the ass. If these are the female characters for the “Tatort” future, then there is still a lot to do.
The commissioners?
When Lannert and Bootz started work in 2008, they brought a breath of fresh air to the Stuttgart “crime scene”: one in a fast-paced Porsche Targa, the other as a cool guy in a brown leather jacket. The car and the piece of clothing are still there 14 years later, but in this case Bootz in particular seems strangely tired of office. “Sometimes I just don’t feel like it anymore. Then why are we doing this?” he says disillusioned to his colleague. In another scene he comments: “Then I can hang up my job.” It almost sounds as if the next “crime scene” farewell was being prepared here.
Turn on or off?
The case is emotional. If you want excitement, watch Arte Hitchcock’s classic “The Birds” at 8:15 p.m.
Detectives Lannert and Bootz also investigated these cases: