Can one wearily smile at conspiracy theorists or do they pose a real danger to life and limb? Unfortunately, there have been crimes in Germany in recent years that have been committed by such stray minds. And that’s exactly what the new Dresden “crime scene: cat and mouse” (Sunday, November 20th from 8:15 p.m. in the first) is all about.
The inspectors Karin Gorniak (Karin Hanczewski, 40) and Leonie Winkler (Cornelia Gröschel, 34) have to deal with a fanatical kidnapper who apparently has no scruples. A game of cat and mouse between police and criminals begins… Is it worth tuning in?
The reporter Brigitte Burkhard (Elisabeth Baulitz, 49) is abducted on the open street in Dresden. Her kidnapper, who hides his face behind a mask, sends a video message to the police. The inspectors Karin Gorniak (Hanczewski), Leonie Winkler (Gröschel) and their boss Peter Michael Schnabel (Martin Brambach) are confronted with the claim that 150 children kidnapped in Saxony are being held captive in a Dresden cellar. If they are not freed within 24 hours, Brigitte Burkhard must die.
The police are feverishly looking for the alleged hiding place for the children, and a special task force storms a possible restaurant. But there is no evidence of a crime. The detectives cannot find the kidnapped journalist either. Schnabel sees no other way than to go public. The next morning, Schnabel himself is in the hands of the perpetrator. Gorniak and Winkler are able to clarify his identity:
Michael Sobotta (Hans Löw, 46) has been desperately missing his daughter Zoe, who disappeared on a school trip, for years. While Gorniak and Winkler are trying at full speed to determine Schnabel’s whereabouts, the kidnapper, deep in the swamp of confused conspiracy fantasies, gives the inspectors another absurd ultimatum: Gorniak and Winkler can only save their boss’s life if they dig up the child molester ring. ..
Yes, thriller fans in particular will get their money’s worth. The film is dark and exciting and very well produced. The theme of the “lunatic conspiracy fanatic” is also viewed realistically and told in a comprehensible manner: without a doubt, one trusts the perpetrator to be so blinded and misguided by his drifting off the Internet and because of his severe stroke of fate that he is capable of anything. Even multiple murders. Brambach takes center stage with his role as Inspector Schnabel in “Cat and Mouse”. And that’s a good thing: with his strong presence, he in particular ensures an all-round successful “Tatort” evening.
