The German/Czech/Austrian co production Habermann tells a chapter of German history which is easily forgotten. The movie is based on a true story and tries to exemplify the destiny of the Germans living in Sudetenland. This is one of those movies which touch on a historical fact which is so painfully absurd in its arbitrariness one can hardly believe it.

Habermann is a rich mill owner in Sudetenland. The tragedy of the Sudetenland was that it belonged to Czechoslovakia before the war but almost 90% of the people living there were Germans. When Germany decided to annex the Sudetenland in 1938 this posed a huge problem to people like Habermann who lived peacefully with the Czechs. Habermann’s best friend is a Czech (Karel Roden), many of his mill workers, his accountant and other people in important positions are Czechs. Being so friendly with the Czechs makes him look suspicious to the German authorities who take up residence in the small village in which he lives. When the despotic and sadistic Sturmbannführer Karl Koslowski (Ben Becker) arrives in the village, things go from bad to worse. He wants Habermann to get rid of the Czech workers, spies on him and the Czechs, bullies and controls him.

But the worst isn’t even known to Habermann and his wife yet. Although she grew up as an orphan and was  brought up by Catholic nuns, her father was a Jew. When Koslowski finds out, the tragedy cannot be averted.

Another dramatic story line circles around Habermann’s young brother you joins the Nazi’s.

There were a lot of things I liked about this movie and the story of the Sudeten Germans is a story which needed telling. The real tragedy for most only started after Germany lost the war and the Czechs turned against them. This drama is shown well but what I didn’t find too good is that there is too much emphasis on the character of Koslowski. Ben Becker is one of my favourite actors and I watch every movie he’s in. I think he is simply brilliant but he is also the type of character who just crushes everyone around him. He is often chosen to play a nasty Nazi villain and does that well, only giving him this role, putting so much emphasis on this characters, almost makes you think that the whole tragedy was linked to this one man while this was a collective tragedy and not just related to one sadistic character.

Still overall I think Habermann is well done, not one of the best but a very watchable movie and the actors, Ben Becker, Karl Roden, Mark Waschke as Habermann, Hannah Herzsprung as his wife, are really good.

A Lonely Place to Die is a tense thriller that mixes element of mountaineering and climbing in with the usual horror thriller traits commonly associated with films of this genre. The mountaineering adds something different to the usual horror or thriller films of this genre and adds to the tension of the film as not only do the group of friends have to run but they also have to climb down mountains as quickly as they can to try and escape their pursuers. The mountaineering element takes up the first part of the film but towards the end of the film, other characters are introduced and the film becomes more of a traditional thriller film with the friends running from the killers which although is still entertaining, loses some of it’s tension and horror elements. These elements are more present when the friends are climbing or hiking through the Scottish Highlands to escape the kidnappers as nature is their enemy as well as the kidnappers adding more suspense and danger to the film.

Mountaineering is one of the key themes of the film, adding to the tension and complementing the cat and mouse narrative

The acting in this film can be a bit hit and miss at times. When you first meet the group of friends, their interations at time don’t quite feel naturally and feel almost forced at times particulalry when they arrive at the cottage and spend the night playing poker. This particular scene doesn’t quite feel right and fails to create an image of a group of people who are friends except for Ed who seems to struggle to get along with anyone in general. However once they find the girl and go on the run from the kidnappers, the performances do improve and creates a more engaging film which is helped by the thriller and action elements of the film. However the earlier scenes at the cottage fail to create any sympathy or liking for the characters meaning that you don’t really care for the group of friends and whether they make it to the end of the film alive or not. Melissa George is one of the main protagonists of the film and is one of the most well known names in the film. She is also no newcomer to the horror thriller film genre having previously starred in The Amityville Horror (2005), 30 Days of Night (2007) and Triange (2009) so she knows how to play the scared victim who has to run from a horror or person trying to kill her. Melissa delivers one of the best performances of the film and is one of the more likeable characters although there isn’t much time for character development, her actions and attitude make her a likeable and interesting character. Karel Roden is one of the other well known names in the film who plays Darko, the man looking for Anna and delivering the money for her kidnappers on behalf of her father who is played as a stereotypical Bosnian war criminal who you don’t want to get on the wrong side of (as one character finds out the hard way). Karel Roden’s character is hard to place as either a protagonist or antagonist surrounding his character in a bit of mystery and means that he can be an unpredictable character making him more interesting to watch. Sean Harris and Stephen McCole play the kidnappers after Anna. McCole’s kidnapper tends to fit a stereotypical role as he goes round killing anyone in his way and doesn’t really allow for much character development. However Sean Harris’s kidnapper character who is clearly the leader is allowed to have a bit more character development including why he kidnapped Anna and during a conversation with Roden’s Darko, he get a look into what kind of person he is and demonstrates that Harris can play the creepy and no nonsense kidnapper well. Unlike McCole who fits the pure role of killer and something to fear, Harris’ villain is a worthy addition to the narrative as he doesn’t tend to fall back on film stereotypes commonly associated with the kidnapper character.

Julian Gilbey is in the directors chair and despite some questionable acting in places, he manages to deliver an enjoyable film. His most noticeable strengths are when he uses particular scenes and people to make the audience think one thing before pulling the rug out from under them to reveal something different to what you expected. Gilbey also knows how to do impressive action scenes whether they are ontop of a mountain or taking place during a festival with the kidnapper using fireworks to muffle the sound of gunfire. Gilbey is also effective at placing mistrust in characters after only just meeting them with a prime example being when Alison, Ed and Anna meet a policeman or two deer hunters are introduced into the film. Gilbey knows how to effectively create suspense and tension to keep the audience engaged in the film while making them question characters and whether they can be trusted or not.

Overall, A Lonely Place to Die delivers the thrilling and action elements expected of it with the addition of mountaineering to add to the tension of the film. Although this is more of an independent film, it still delivers despite not having such a high budget as more recent cinema releases. The only thing that lets it down is the acting which at times fails to match the atmosphere of the film but at other times can capture the atmosphere and tension just right demonstrating some inconsistent acting throughout.

7/10

Hellboy
2004 – Rated PG-13 – 2 hr 2 min
Director: Guillermo del Toro
Starring: Ron Perlman, Selma Blair, John Hurt, Rupert Evans, Jeffrey Tambor, Doug Jones, Karel Roden

Before seeing this movie, I was unaware that Ron Perlman could get uglier than he already is.  I was also unaware that Selma Blair could become more annoying.  Together, they’re a weird match made in… hell? Maybe?

This movie’s for boys, comic book fans, action film geeks. It is not for girls.  Still, I can appreciate some good CGI as much as the next girl, but there’s not too much of that in here either.  The fish guy’s kinda cool and I love John Hurt, so it’s got that going for it.  Plus, that nerdy new kid is okay.

Mostly, though, this is one of those movies you’ll enjoy more if you’re a fan of the comic.  It’s not geared to someone like me. So I don’t hate it, but I don’t love it as much as others might.

WHAT I’M WATCHING ON DVD:

Rowan Atkinson as Mr. Bean in “Mr. Bean’s Holiday.”  If you’re in need of a chuckle (and who isn’t these days) – watch this movie.

Read my review HERE.