Prosecutor Bachmann has 20 years of service. This is celebrated properly at police headquarters. Inspectors Anna Janneke (Margarita Broich) and Paul Brix (Wolfram Koch) in particular are having a blast with schnapps and karaoke. The next morning they are called to a crime scene completely hungover. In a remote hut, a naked man is tied to a chair. He was tortured before his death and has a plastic bag over his head. Police chief Ansgar Matzerath (Peter Lohmeyer) claims to have murdered the man because he kidnapped and raped his wife seven years ago – the perpetrator was never caught. Janneke and Brix now have to reopen the old case: Is the victim really the rapist of Matzerath’s wife? And did your colleague become a murderer? They are supported by retired inspector Elsa Bronski (Hannelore Elsner), who led the investigation at the time.
In April 2019, Hannelore Elsner succumbed to cancer. Very few people knew how sick the actress really was. She was still in front of the camera until shortly before her death. The Frankfurt “Tatort” was filmed from March 5th to April 3rd, 2019 and has become a homage to the great actress. The film has many philosophical aspects. Inspectors Janneke and Brix question their roles as police officers, the values of their actions and the meaning of punishment. But they also take an amusing look at modern work and juggle terms like change management, cross-development and jour fixe. “They should just let us do our work,” Brix curses in one scene.
There is a body, there is an alleged perpetrator and there is a confession: all within the first 15 minutes. After that, the film just plods along without any real highlights. There is no tension at all. You have the feeling that you are witnessing a tough interrogation for 90 minutes.
Not only are inspectors Janneke and Brix in a desolate condition in this “crime scene” episode, but also the police headquarters. There’s dripping and pulling everywhere, there’s drilling, hammering and screwing going on. The building is being renovated and will soon shine in new splendor. But until then, Janneke and Brix have to work in the hallways and conduct interrogations behind toilet walls. Inspector Brix is plagued by additional health concerns, but no one apart from his landlady Fanny knows about them. “It’s nobody’s business. Besides, I don’t like talking about illnesses,” he says.
The case isn’t worth turning on, but seeing Hannelore Elsner on the screen again is – even in the repeat.
“Crime Scene: The Good and the Bad” first aired on April 19, 2020. ARD will repeat the case on April 26, 2024 at 10:20 p.m.
