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Overrated and overhyped

If you like to be scared, if you like to laugh, and if you like to learn a thing or two at the movies, this absolutely cannot be missed.

One of the most extraordinary films you will see this year. Take that as you want.

A terrific literary drama and character piece that shows how the process of creating art can be seen differently by those doing it and those looking at it from the outside.

Is Germany trying to have its own crime epic, its own "Goodfellas"? Well, not quite, though it looks that way from a distance. "Knallhart" is actually just a coming-of-age tale about a 15-year-old boy (the very convincing David Kross) who just happens to meet a whole bunch of criminals along the way. The script isn't really too exceptional, but the stale, naturalistic look of the movie still makes it worthwhile. I really liked how the frames just screamed desperation on behalf of every single character. One thing that struck me as odd though is that the movie's running time is so short, the character of Michael Polischka just didn't seem like he was done yet. Because of that the ending feels very abrupt, it made me feel somewhat unfulfilled. The first hour is downright excellent though, beautiful realistic cinema.

Knallhart is in many points a typical German movie to me. The premise of a troubled teenager moving to a new flat in a low class Berlin environment and dealing with violence, drugs and apathy is nothing new. The movie tries to portrait the depressing surrounding in long pictures of the main actor walking through the city in washed out colors. The surrounding and the characters to me seem typically German and unbelievable ... overacted or over-scripted (the mobile phone beating videos were implemented heavy to meet with modern day German news headlines as a very cheap catch). Acting wise the movie was pulled down by the incredibly untalented Jenny Elvers in the role of the lead actors mother. Several other characters are badly acted like the German dealer in the cellar or the Austrian cocaine dealer (this scene is a perfect example for overdoing things by cutting to the baby every 10 seconds.... yeah, its depressing but how come non-German movies like "Ex Drummer" or "London to Brighton" manage to be gripping and getting the message across with far less effort??). Oh and talking about "London to Brighton".... like "KNallhart" its a 2006 movie but I really wonder about the strong similarities. The setting, the telling of the story by beginning at the end and then resolving it, the open ending, the environment and long city shots, the idea of the the main actor being forced to murder a person he hates although its not in his nature... can all this be coincidence??However the movies are classes apart.... the use of music was really bad in Knallhart and made it hard to feel for the main actor or the plot because it hardly ever transported the visual emotion. It rather sounded like the were selling a modern soundtrack or something. I think a 7.5 average rating is definitely too much for a movie with this many flaws. Even the editing was pretty weak at times... so do yourself a favor and watch "London to Brighton" or "Ex Drummer" if you want a movie gritty and getting you emotionally involved with great cinematography in a depressing underclass-environment rather than this pretentious German effort.

The rising numbers of violent acts amongst teenagers are a big problem today. Especially young people should have the chance to develop their own identity, without having to deal with threats from fellow students or violence in their family. "Knallhart", a movie by director Detlev Buck and screenwriters Gregor Tessnow and Zoran Drvenkar, is good, because it is very realistic. We see that there is not much chance, that one doesn't get a victim or criminal in the place they are growing up. Our main character Michael has to decide whether he wants to stay a victim the rest of his days or if he wants to do something against it. Parts of today's youth just feel that there is no prospect for the future. Rising Unemployment and the gap between rich and poor getting bigger and bigger may be reasons for that. David Kross does an excellent job in playing Michael, but what makes "Knallhart" a really great movie, is that also all characters aside our hero have their moments. Everyone has a family, a past, problems that they are dealing with.

This film really got to me, probably because it was almost perfectly realistic. The characters are brilliantly drawn - no simplistic goodies or baddies. The setting, in the not-so-wealthy suburbs of Berlin, is very believable.Full marks for the acting and directing. There are some gutwrenching scenes in this film. I won't go into the details because I don't want to spoil a thing, but both physical and emotional violence are portrayed with an alarming conviction. I wish more film makers could achieve this instead of resorting to comic book fights or glossing over the brutal reality.I sincerely hope that this film is released internationally, and that it escapes the censors' scissors. It would be a shame if only German-speaking audiences could see it.