Ballauf and Schenk deal with a brutal murder in the drug scene. It’s a really good film and an exciting thriller, says SWR3 crime scene checker Michael Haas.
Crime scene Cologne: A corpse in the canal
The girl who was found in a canal at a lock is just 19 years old. She was brutally murdered, her body thrown into the water somewhere up the canal. That complicates the investigation. But the autopsy will bring more details to light. Apparently it’s a sex crime. In addition, Lara, as the dead woman was called, was heavily addicted to drugs. She has many puncture marks in the crook of her arm.
And that’s not all. The inspectors Ballauf and Schenk found out from the victim’s mother of all people: Lara probably also prostituted herself. The mother reacted coldly to the news of death. No shock, no sadness, just serenity: “It had to happen that way, she was a cheap street hooker.” Not exactly nice, the way she talks about her own daughter.
Police colleague among the suspects?
The DNA traces that forensic science can secure on Lara’s corpse make it easy to identify the people with whom Lara must have had contact the night before. However, one of the tracks is contaminated, at least that is what is assumed at first. Because the trace contains DNA sequences from Natalie Förster, the head of forensic technology who is investigating. But was it really a lab glitch? Because suddenly the colleague is also behaving very strangely.
Of course, this makes the laboratory assistant all the more suspicious. But maybe it was one of the suitors from last night. Or the pimp, who doesn’t claim to have been Lara’s pimp at all, but rather her boyfriend. All lies of course.
Tatort anniversary: 25 years of Cologne crime thrillers
So there are plenty of suspects, at least enough for a crime scene worth seeing. Because even if Ballauf and Schenk have been investigating for an incredible 25 years, the crime scene around them has remained fresh and modern. So the crime scene can certainly point out in several places that the two are already a few days old. Freddy Schenk says in one scene: “You’ve been doing it for so many years and it still grabs you.“ Luckily I would say. After all, we’ve had enough of placid, cynical detectives. And besides, Lara’s mother has already taken over the part with the cynicism – even though she seems totally exaggerated in her almost unbearable smugness.
Tatort convinces with film music by Reinhold Heil
On the other hand, the brilliant film music that Reinhold Heil made is absolutely successful. That’s right, Heil, who was with the cult band in the 80s spliff participated. The music is the soundtrack for a touching story and even more so for a wonderful ending that has depth and answers all sorts of open questions.
The beginning of the crime scene is in the 1970s, because back then, girls addicted to heroin who prostituted themselves on the streets were a topic in countless crime novels. But the way the writers in this crime scene keep throwing viewers on the wrong track to find the killer is truly remarkable. And that’s exactly why the thriller stays exciting until the end. Very good! Four out of five moose for the anniversary.