Two terminally ill patients escape from a hospital, steal a car and rush towards the sea.Two terminally ill patients escape from a hospital, steal a car and rush towards the sea.Two terminally ill patients escape from a hospital, steal a car and rush towards the sea.
- Awards
- 8 wins & 3 nominations
Willi Thomczyk
- Autoverkäufer
- (as Willy Thomczyk)
Storyline
Did you know
- TriviaWas the most successful German movie of 1997 with 3,585,422 tickets sold.
- GoofsWhile Rudi sleeps with the whores the foot of the cameraman can be seen.
- Quotes
Martin Brest: In heaven, they're talking about nothing but the sea and how wonderful it is. They talk about the sunsets they saw, they talk about how the sun turned blood red before diving into the sea and they talk about how they could feel how the sun lost its power and the coolness from the sea and all that fire was only glowing inside.
- Crazy creditsThere is a short film sequence after the credits. It shows Bernd Eichinger being searched by a policeman. He carries some of the money that was sent to different people by mail in the film.
- ConnectionsFeatured in Inthierryview (2008)
- SoundtracksI Will Survive
By Freddie Perren (as Frederick Perren) / Dino Fekaris
Performed by U-Stay with Melina
Produced by Franz Plasa and Mahony Prod
Featured review
First of all, WHY HAS THIS FILM NOT BEEN RELEASED IN ENGLISH SPEAKING COUNTRIES??!! Is it because Hollywood is afraid of German films that are actually as good as theirs? Is it because this is a foreign film that isn't "foreign" enough (e.g. Bergmanesque symbolism or Wender's "poetic imagery") or is it because neither America nor Britain have the nerve to properly dub this film into English? In any case, the world is missing out. This is a highly entertaining film with a simple plot, lots of humor, plenty of action, and two terrific leads. The plot, regardless of how many people will compare it to "pulp fiction" (a comparrison, by the way, which I simply cannot understand,)is a straight-forward buddy flick about two terminally ill men in their early thirties. Like all buddy movies, (Lethal Weapan, 48 hours, Nothing to lose) the characters couldn't be more different at the beginning, and find a way to get along by the films end. Nothing new here, except for the fact that both men know they will be dead by the film's end, thus eliminating (thank goodness) any chance of a sequel. Anyway, our heroes meet in the hospital, and quickly decide that they want to really "live" their final days on earth, and see the ocean before they pass away. They steal a car which happens to belong to a dutch gangster (brief cameo by rutger hauer). Thus begins the chase across Germany and Holland, a chase which combines road-movie laughs a-la Dumb and Dumber (there is a VERY similiar scene where the two men find the suitcase filled with money, and check into a rediculously fancy hotel) with genuine character development and bonding, a-la Thelma and Louise.
The real star of the film is not the plot, but the little moments of genuine humor and tenderness between the leads. Director Thomas Jahn's balance between over-the-top action-comedy and emotional "cancer drama" is amazingly played out by the two actors (til schweiger and jan josef liefers)
I would recommend this film to ANYBODY who likes to be entertained. The music is great, the jokes (most of them, at least) fly, and the relationships are genuine. The only problem is probably that at this point, you have to speak German fluently to understand most of what's going on. BUT BE PATIENT! Someday Hollywood will discover this film and at least SUBTITLE it like they did the equally terrific(er) "lola rennt". My only hope is that they don't simply ruin the film by remaking it with american stars. That would be a great letdown, because this film is already perfect. I doubt that most people would even think it's foreign, if they simply forget the subtitles and get into it.
The real star of the film is not the plot, but the little moments of genuine humor and tenderness between the leads. Director Thomas Jahn's balance between over-the-top action-comedy and emotional "cancer drama" is amazingly played out by the two actors (til schweiger and jan josef liefers)
I would recommend this film to ANYBODY who likes to be entertained. The music is great, the jokes (most of them, at least) fly, and the relationships are genuine. The only problem is probably that at this point, you have to speak German fluently to understand most of what's going on. BUT BE PATIENT! Someday Hollywood will discover this film and at least SUBTITLE it like they did the equally terrific(er) "lola rennt". My only hope is that they don't simply ruin the film by remaking it with american stars. That would be a great letdown, because this film is already perfect. I doubt that most people would even think it's foreign, if they simply forget the subtitles and get into it.
- How long is Knockin' on Heaven's Door?Powered by Alexa
Details
Box office
- Budget
- DEM 4,300,000 (estimated)
- Gross US & Canada
- $5,710
- Opening weekend US & Canada
- $1,731
- Aug 22, 1999
- Gross worldwide
- $214,139
- Runtime1 hour 27 minutes
- Color
- Sound mix
- Aspect ratio
- 2.39 : 1
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By what name was Knockin' on Heaven's Door (1997) officially released in India in English?
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