What To Do In Case of Fire? (2002)
Runtime: 1 hr 41 mins
Theatrical Release: Jul 19, 2002 Limited
Synopsis: In the 1980s, Tim (Til Schweiger), his girlfriend Flo, and their roommates Terror, Hotte, Nele, and Maik--collectively known as Group 36--live as anarchist punks in an abandoned West Berlin building and film their subversive acts. The group disbands when the authorities evict the city's... In the 1980s, Tim (Til Schweiger), his girlfriend Flo, and their roommates Terror, Hotte, Nele, and Maik--collectively known as Group 36--live as anarchist punks in an abandoned West Berlin building and film their subversive acts. The group disbands when the authorities evict the city's squatters, but not before Tim and company place a homemade bomb behind the door of an empty mansion. Fifteen years later, Tim and wheelchair-bound Hotte are still squatting--the only members of Group 36 who have stuck to their ideals. When the long-forgotten bomb is detonated, nearly killing two innocent people, veteran police detective Manowsky finally has an excuse to prosecute the former pranksters. Tim and Hotte are reunited with their old cohorts--who have become capitalists--as they attempt to prevent Manowsky from getting his hands on evidence that could incriminate them. This German tale of friendship and change, the first from director Gregor Schnitzler, subverts its glossy production values with a distinctly anti-authoritarian tone. Opening with an energizing montage of the young characters clashing with police to a German punk song, WHAT TO DO IN CASE OF FIRE? immediately invigorates its audience with a strong sense of time and place. The likeable cast, headed by Schweiger (a major star in his native country) as a protagonist of dubious moral character, carries this unique and enjoyable coming-of-age tale. [More]
Genre: Foreign Films, German, Black Comedy, Comedy, Politics, Theatrical Release, Artists, 1980s
Starring: Til Schweiger, Doris Schretzmayer, Sebastian Blomberg, Martin Feifel, Nadja Uhl
Screenwriter: Stefan Dahnert, Anne Wild
Producer: Andrea Willson, Jakob Claussen, Thomas Wobke
Composer: Stephan Zacharias, Stephan Gade
DVD Info
Release:
Nov 12, 2002
DVD Features:
- Region 1
- Keep Case
- Widescreen - 2.40
Audio:
- Dolby Digital 5.1 - German
Interactive Features:
- Interactive Menus
- Scene Selection
Buy It On DVD
Reviews
Has an energy and enthusiasm that certainly works in fits and starts, but taken as a whole, it’s a few explosions (and a lot of yearning) signifying very little.
The formula is executed with such efficiency that you can't help being entertained, right? Right? Jawohl!
It's like a "Big Chill" reunion of the Baader-Meinhof Gang, only these guys are more harmless pranksters than political activists.
You might not buy the ideas. But you'll definitely want the T-shirt.
Starts off with a bang, but then fizzles like a wet stick of dynamite at the very end. It's still worth a look.
In his U.S. debut, Mr. Schnitzler proves himself a deft pace master and stylist.
[Schweiger is] talented and terribly charismatic, qualities essential to both movie stars and social anarchists.
For a film that celebrates radical, nonconformist values, What to Do in Case of Fire? lazily and glumly settles into a most traditional, reserved kind of filmmaking.
It's all entertaining enough, but don't look for any hefty anti-establishment message in what is essentially a whip-crack of a buddy movie that ends with a whimper.
The movie strains to stay on the light, comic side of the issue, despite the difficulty of doing so when dealing with the destruction of property and, potentially, of life itself.
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by: Silvap1 10/3/04


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