Tattoo (2002)

The directorial debut of Schwentke is no-doubt a very well shot movie. It looks beautiful, ıts atmosphere is intriguing, the score and soundtrack is perfect match and the acting is above average.. whoever succeeds in shooting a movie that looks like this as a debut is deemed to be a very successful director. thats for sure.. His obssesion with reflections can be tiring from time to time but Schwentke handles this so delicately this trademark of his never feels repetitive..It is nearly impossible to think of someone who would not wonder about Schwentke's next project after watching Tattoo. So after so much praise lets come to the negatives. I will say only one thing: story.. It is full of nonsense. Minks a cop of years of experience on the streets can not locate his own daughter but the younger cop who is asked to help find her in a day.. and hey she was working as a bartender in a nightclub. But a 20 year veteran detective who seems to live to find his daughter can not locate her..? Actually I myself had difficulty in following the plot but the movie gives you the understanding that the police in Germany is really really incompetent--no offense to the Polizie it is just what the movie suggests..-- 12 deads, one dead detective and his daughter and still no one seems to care including the chief..? I think with a stronger screenplay this movie had the potential to be a classic especially with the direction of Schwentke.. A solid 7.5

Though this movie does have more than passing similarities to David Fincher's SE7EN, I feel that comparing the two is unfair and, in my opinion, downright unwise. It is true that TATTOO unfolds in an ever rainy cityscape; follows the lives of two police detectives (with a vast generation and experience gap) while they chase a killer. And yes, it plays its drama out amidst a seedy German underworldHowever, what transpires amidst this spectacularly visualized tapestry full of rave parties, torture chambers, skin rooms, and body modification cliques willing to sell the tattoos off their body for quick cash, is vastly different in tone and theme from Fincher's 'who done it, and why' police procedural. Here the characters are not shown as black and white, but rather in shades of gray. Their lives, their dilemmas, are the real story. Even the reasons for the killings are presented in such a way that makes you understand, if not empathize, with those that a standard Hollywood picture would casually demonize. This element of moral ambiguity, under the remarkably controlled direction of Schwentke, creates a dark, cold, and subtly stylized world, that surprisingly plays as very very real. It is encouraging to see a European film with the refined sensibility of European cinema combined so adeptly with a genre so intrinsically American. It is also hard to believe that this is Schwentke's directorial debut. (I for one will keep my eye on him.)It's a remarkable film, and I certainly hope it blows the doors open for other genre films shot in Germany, and in Europe as a whole. Not since viewing Spoorloos (The Vanishing) have I been so impressed. If you have a chance, don't hesitate to catch it on the big screen. It's gorgeous, it's ballsy, and it's worth it.

As being fond of thrillers with a dark atmosphere, I was really looking forward to seeing "Tattoo". And indeed - I was not disappointed. Although the film contains some minor flaws, the unique idea of collecting tattoos as works of art is very appealing. August Diehl is brilliant as usual, Christian Redl as the depressive detective Minks is absolutely convincing. The plot leaves some things unanswered, which is quite irritating, but not to consider as an actual flaw. Some characters remind me of some of Lynch's disturbing, mysterious figures. Schwentke tries to give the film an extra layer via images, with which he mostly succeeds. The film quotes "Silence of the Lambs" and "Se7en" but this does not subtract from it's originality. An important genre film able to change the German market.8 out of 10.

I've seen Tattoo in a sneak preview and i think its pretty bad. The story has too many flaws and the dialogue is awful. If you like seeing dead bodies and other disturbing pictures without a good story behind, then go into this movie. But please dont compare this one to David Finchers Seven.