An exciting police thriller by ZDF undermines the usual moral laws. The TV criticism of "We are the law" on ZDF.
- TV criticism of "We are the law" (ZDF)
- Julia Koschitz and Aljoscha Stadelmann as patrol officers
- The crime thriller undermines the moral laws
When TV criticism became even more ideological, TV crime films were chalked up to distort social reality. Accordingly, the crime on the screen was always a special case. A temporary defect in the system, which was corrected by the responsible police officers within the specified broadcast time. The reality was different.
Regarding "We are the law" (ZDF): Sender repeatedly emphasizes that it is a comedy
These accusations were not wrong. In most of the early US crime series, the criminals never got away from the guidelines and sponsors. Unless their actions were directed against other lawbreakers, as in 1964 in the comedic series "Rogue Against Rogue" with the cinema stars David Niven, Gig Young and Charles Boyer or in "Your appearance, Al Mundy" with Robert Wagner and Fred Astaire .
Screenwriters have long enjoyed greater freedom. However, they continue to prefer the form of comedy, as farce or satire, to gallows humor, if sympathizers are attributed to lawbreakers. It seems like a precautionary measure if the ZDF in the press material for the film “We are the law” repeatedly states that it is a comedy.
on “We are the law” (ZDF): On patrol in the neighborhood
The patrol officers Maja Witt (Julia Koschitz) and Klaus Burck (Aljoscha Stadelmann) do not make you laugh. The two patrol in the Bremen neighborhood, know the homeless person who would rather have a beer than a coffee, the landlord of the kebab stall. When Burck fingers a french fry out of a bag that has been left behind, Witt makes a punitive "Klaus!" A bit like an old couple.
There is heavy dealing in this area. They catch a dealer in the act. He runs away, the two behind. They quickly run out of breath, the dealer seems nimble, but the police officers benefit from their local knowledge. Witt puts the cable tie on him and has to be snarled: "Do you want to fuck me, whore ?!" Her casual answer: "Not at all."
These are the sounds you hear every day. When Burck is spat on by a cheeky villain (Rauand Taleb, currently also on Wednesdays on ZDFneo in the unsuccessful series "Dunkelstadt"), his hand slips and he breaks the cocky villain's nose. Unfortunately, the rascal belongs to the Issa clan that controls the underworld in Bremen. Both sides lie in court. Burck gets away, but so does little Issa. And because the patriarch Djamal Issa (Merab Ninidze) has to save his face, Witt and Burck are now on the collar. Witt's dog is killed, Burck's demented father and his caretaker are beaten up.
Burck and Witt have enough and seem to want to bow to the extortionate violence. But they still have something up their sleeve ...
Elastic interpretation of the law - TV criticism of "We are the law" (ZDF)
"We are the law", Wednesday, March 25th, 2020, 8:15 pm, ZDF
On the one hand, it is to be welcomed that the Germans lost their subject spirit. But less so that real police officers on duty can now expect disrespect, insults, and even physical assault. The screenwriter Holger Karsten Schmidt has come up with two police officers who have such experiences every day, who also experience that arrested people will be back in the illegal business within the next few days, that violent criminals can not be caught thanks to clever lawyers.
Witt and Burck oppose this, violate regulations and official regulations themselves, take drug money from dealers and pass it on to those in need. A cheeky reversal of the usual moral distribution: these two develop at least as much criminal energy as their antagonists. But do you get away with it?
to "The Law We Are" (ZDF): Silent agreement
In March “We Are The Law” won the German TV Crime Award. The jury's reasoning states, among other things: "We have never seen the police in German film like this before." The thriller, staged by Markus Imboden, not only stands out due to the unconventional design of the police roles, but also because of its design. Because the two main characters communicate more or less silently. You never hear how they make plans, coordinate with each other. They only speak to third parties, and yet they act like two cogwheels that are perfectly coordinated. They often seem passive, sometimes a bit confusing. The thoughtful Klaus Burck moves extremely slowly, clumsily. Quite plausible that superiors and gangsters are so wrong about him.
Witt and Burck keep surprising friends and enemies until the end. The audience is also unlikely to know at the beginning what will come of it. The film is a veritable viewing pleasure, but the term comedy could raise false expectations. You get a clear demonstration of what punches and bullets can do.
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