Dobermann

"Dobermann", effectively, is a movie with no live characters in it. Not one.

What it does have is walking cartoons. Two-dimensional and blatantly unbelievable ones (e.g the psycho preacher, straight out of a 60'ies spaghetti-western). That, and bloody mayhem!

The set-pieces, (a bank-robbery, a shoot-em-up in a nightclub and the final car-chase) are excellent for those who like their action-movies splattered with gore and a loud techno-track. Beware, though, there are stretches of boredom in between. Of special note is the grossly unpleasant scene where Christini tortures "Sonia"'s family. It includes a baby being thrown across the room, and later being given a hand-grenade as a toy. This didn't endear "Dobermann" to the Norwegian critics! It was not shown in Oslo as a result of the regional cinema-director considering the movie devoid of interest and much, much too violent.

Which it is.

Dobermann is a movie about losing control. And it is probably the most violent movie one can rent at the videoclub. The violence is raw and both the cops and thieves are psychos.

A lot of scenes are very strong. Like this one where a cop is eating his sandwich while watching a pimp beating a hooker...

Don't be fooled by people who say that this movie is a copycat of 'Natural Born Killer'. Such comments are sadly narrow-minded. Dobermann is a chef-d'oeuvre and does not relate to any other movie. It is indeed very stylish and does no try to lecture the spectator.

People have compared Dobermann to Tarantino's stuff, but I think it's much more similar to Luc Besson's Leon / crossed with Baz Luhrmann's direction in the opening of Romeo & Juliet.

Great comic-book angles and poses, larger-than-life characters, comic-book violence, Prodigy soundtrack.. Brilliant stuff.

Very cool theme, and great CGI opening credits (worth a mention on their own). I couldn't work out why Tcheky Karyo says about 3/4 of his lines in accented English, but who cares.

It's uncomplicated, violent, stylish mayhem, and it's great.

Don't let them fool you, Dobermann is a rockin' violent film in the tradition of Fantomas, updated for the 90's. Films with anti-hero protagonists are often dismissed as lacking in morality, but that view is short sighted and culturally prejudiced. The protagonists in this film have a certain code of behavior, ethics, and style, and it is their rigid adherence to these that define them as heroes. The cops in the film are portrayed as bumblers, or worse, corrupt, violating their code of behavior, ethics and style. So instead of being merely good vs. evil, the story is reframed as two alternate ethical frames of reference in conflict. This makes the film hard to accept in a real world sense, but does present a challenge to the viewer, i.e.: Who does one root for? In the end the director decides for you. We are rooting for the robbers in this one. The robbers are bloodthirsty murderers, but not cruel or capricious. Murder is simply a means to an end. The film is stylish in a Sam Raimi/Ringo Lam sense, quick cuts, swerving cameras, and an "in the action" feel. The cast is superb, but acting in a

film with a directoral sense as strong as this is sometimes not easy, as the actors can become merely manipulated props. Still, there is scenery chewed, and many memorable performances. Top notch.

Monica Bellucci was great! She´s extremely sexy, attractive and very talented! Unfortunately, you can forget the rest of the film..! It´s a mistake to believe that a lot of violence that gets out of hand and a video clip style make an interesting and hip movie! "Dobermann" stands in one row with other would-be cult movies like "Perdita Durango", Oliver Stone´s "U Turn" or the likewise French "Baise moi". The story is stolen from "Killing Zoe" and the whole time this film tries to be something that it isn´t! Finally it is only another Tarantino rip-off that the world doesn´t need!!! But Monica Bellucci was great..!

My rating: a perfect 10 for Monica, 3/10 for the rest of the film...