Benno Furmann, Hilmi Sözer, Nina Hoss

Off the beaten track, three people stumble into a fateful encounter. Thomas, young and fit, has been dishonorably discharged from the army. Ali, an affable Turkish businessman, has experienced some ha...( read more  read more... )rd times but now his primary concern is making sure his employees do not cheat him. Laura, an attractive woman with a dark past, finds refuge in the shadows of her marriage to Ali. Thomas, Ali, and Laura keep an eye on each other and keep their secrets to themselves. They all desire love but also security. They consider themselves independent, and what they desire can only be achieved by betrayal.

Flixster Users

43% liked it

15,361 ratings

Critics

87% liked it

30 critics

Unrated, 1 hr. 33 min.

Directed by: Christian Petzold

Release Date: September 1, 2008

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DVD Release Date: August 27, 2009

Stats: 58 reviews

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Flixster Reviews (58)


  • May 24, 2009
    sounds interesting but still don't wanna see it
  • May 21, 2009
    Realistic. Insightful. Worth watching.
  • May 17, 2009
    would not go see this movie
  • May 15, 2009
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  • February 13, 2009
    Thomas, recently discharged (dishonorably) from the German army is relieved of his discharge funds from his alienated friends, to whom he owes a large sum of money. Broke, with the financial means of renovating the decrepit family home completely evaporated (along with his friend...( read more)s), he is only barely getting by with unemployment office posted jobs. Things take a decided turn when he encounters Ali, a well off owner of a series of falafel huts, with a penchant for drinking and driving. After finding Ali and his Range Rover in the Elbe River, he lies to the police about who was driving. This leads to Thomas getting gainful employment as a driver for Ali as he collects from all his shops. Ali, a wealthy self made Turkish immigrant, doesn?t trust anyone, and Thomas physical presence comes in handy for keeping his shifty franchisees in line. Thomas quickly becomes close to both Ali and his gorgeous German wife, played exquisitely by the über talented Nina Hoss (one of the best (and beautiful) actresses currently working in German cinema). See where the film is going? Perhaps you do. Maybe not.

    The trio of performances are pitch perfect insofar as they are both skin deep and subtly vague. Thomas (played by the flexible Benno Fürmann) is a blank slate, smart enough, and watching, he still has some elements of the classic patsy, his posture hints at cockiness although it may just be aloofness or stoicism. Hoss is cool, sexy, desperate and perhaps not as bright as she lets on. Ali (Himli Sözer) is a fireball of suspicion, arrogance, calculation and yet somehow, his immigrant/outsider status offers an interesting form of sympathy. The film as the tiniest morsel to say about how easily money (or lust) compromises trust an where exactly the line between temptation and entrapment lies. But mainly the film lets the actors bump and grind along, against the varied backgrounds of the town shops, verdant countryside and empty beaches. The pacing and construction create comforting notion (perhaps a smugness) of where the film is headed before yielding a twist that is not a twist. In the end, it is a fun and interesting ride, but less revolutionary or re-inventing than it is simply a flippant riff on the genre.

Critic Reviews


August 6, 2009
Steven Rea, Philadelphia Inquirer

A taut, German-made thriller, Jerichow adds a bit of European xenophobia to the pulp traditions of passion and betrayal. full review

July 17, 2009
Mick LaSalle, San Francisco Chronicle

This is a movie made by and for adults, and adults should consider seeing it. full review

June 25, 2009
Roger Ebert, Chicago Sun-Times

It's easy to compare Jerichow with the films of The Postman Always Rings Twice, with the grimy gas station owner, the sexy wife and the rugged drifter, but people have a way of not behaving according ... full review

May 26, 2009
Anthony Lane, The New Yorker

So compact and controlled is this fine film. full review

May 15, 2009
A.O. Scott, The New York Times

There is nonetheless something haunting about this film, a sense of desperation and defeat that seems less like a generic convention than like a genuine insight. full review

May 13, 2009
Nick Schager, The Screengrab

By protracting his set-up, Petzold ... achieves and maintains an effective level of intrigue. full review

View more Jerichow reviews at RottenTomatoes.com

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