One of my favorite movies of all time is Se7en. Morgan Freeman, Brad Pitt, and Kevin Spacey star in this amazing film about a senior and rookie pair of cops on the hunt for a serial killer who is murdering victims depicting the seven deadly sins. It’s so breathtaking and so long overdue for a 4k release, it’s ridiculous. It has also led me to when I receive packages to blurt out, “What’s in the box?” in the deadpan tone that Brad Pitt uses in the movie. So naturally, whenever I hear of a film that draws comparisons to this fine film, my head certainly does a double take. Enter Hinterland. In this film, Peter Perg who just came home after World War I is searching for a serial killer who is taking out former soldiers in a very ritualistic pattern. Let’s check it out.
The original copy of this review can be found at: https://upcomingdiscs.com/2023/05/10/hinterland/
The film opens with some background. World War (I) is lost. Austria, once a proud major power, is turning into a small and insignificant state. The emperor has stepped down and now Austria is regarded as a republic. The soldiers who have come home realize that nothing is as it was before. What’s worse is that some of those soldiers did not return until years later (prisoners of war).
Credits roll as we watch the lead character, Peter Perg (played by Murathan Muslu) look menacing until we fade to black.
Off the shores of Vienna. A man is down on the ground and dying slowly before our eyes. He yells, “Everything is in vain”. We see Lieutenant Peter Perg and other men try to reassure the dying soldier. But unfortunately death comes and takes away another soul. Peter wants to take the body home to the mother, but the ship’s captain and personnel tell him to undress the body and dump it overboard. Reluctantly, the men do just that right before spotting Vienna in the distance.
The first thing that they see is the republic flag of Vienna (which was completely different from the emperor flag from when they left). These men have been prisoners of war for over 2 years. As soon as they get off the boat, the troops are given the chance to go to a homeless shelter called the Red House unless they have loved ones to go back to. Peter is fortunate enough to have a house and proceeds to walk towards it. He passes all sorts of strange people from those who shun him for being a soldier and others with lewd propositions.
Meanwhile, one of the soldiers, Lt. Hermann Krainer (played by Timo Wagner) is caught off guard and choked to death under a bridge. Peter finally makes it to the house only to find that his daughter and wife have left to the country. He tries to sleep in his old house, only to have violent nightmares and ends up on the floor by the break of dawn. The body of Krainer is found by police and it has been tortured and mangled to death. As Dr. Korner (played by Liv Lisa Fries) examines the body, the rest of the police want to dismiss it as a simple vagrant killing.
But as we learn, this is no ordinary killing and the first person the police suspect is Peter Perg due to his connection with the fellow soldier. Peter Perg is no ordinary soldier however and as it turns out, he is a former police inspector here in Vienna prior to the Great War. He is brought into the fold to investigate this case but kept under close scrutiny and watch. From watching the film, Perg can’t possibly be the killer, but then who is and what do they want?
The first thing about this film one will probably notice is that this is not the Vienna you are accustomed to seeing. Heck, native Austrians probably aren’t used to seeing this depiction of the new republic. That’s because it was all created in a studio with blue screen technology. On screen, it looks very stylized and the most detailed drab one could imagine. It really helps to set the atmosphere for something very dark and sinister. Most trained eyes will probably spot it immediately (as there is some absurdity here) but it draws the viewer in quickly and doesn’t let go.
Muranthan Muslu does a wonderful job here as does the rest of the supporting cast. Muslu’s depiction of a down on his luck and depressed inspector works well here in the tradition of Luther or Alec Hardy from Broadchurch. It’s a shame that this movie only lasts about an hour and a half because it’s begging for a little more detective work. The actual mystery here is also interesting and bears a second watch (especially if you were busy writing notes about the production). But the twists are pretty well done and there were many moments that keep you watching.
To be frankly honest, I adored this movie except for the fact that Film Movement put this on a DVD. This movie screams high definition so loudly that it begs to be heard. Since the production created this very detailed dark world, there are a lot of screen blacks. Certain scenes get lost in a standard definition setting, and even facial expressions aren’t caught as they should be. There are blu-rays of this film in Germany as well as France, but no friendly subtitle situations for us English speakers. My only hope is perhaps that maybe an Arrow (UK) or an Umbrella (Australia) can maybe get a hold of this film (and then I would get the appropriate subtitles).
It should be noted to the reading audience that there is the option of getting a digital copy through ITunes, Amazon or Vudu. The cheapest option seems to be Amazon at $6.99 for an HD copy to buy (or $1.99 to rent). Hopefully Film Movement reconsiders it for a future blu-ray release.
There are a few special features on this disc besides the trailer including three featurettes that go over the blue screen technology they used for the film. Collectively they are only four and a half minutes long but it is interesting to see what went into the production. There is also a commentary here with director Stefan Ruzowitzky who has directed a number of films including Anatomy (2000) and Deadfall (2012). He has a thick accent but is well spoken on this screen-specific commentary.
There are additional things on this disc not related to the movie. The first being some trailers; Sword of God, Kamikaze 89 and The Reflecting Skin. The second in Film Movement tradition, a short film. This short film is called Haute Cuisine, a twenty four minute French film directed by Merryl Roche. The description reads: “While toiling away in the highly competitive kitchen of a top-rated restaurant, Marie (Joséphine Japy) inadvertently discovers a strange new ingredient that wins her the admiration of the chef but with frightening consequences.”
Hinterland was nominated for a quite few awards at the 2022 Austrian Film Awards and even won one of those awards for Best Production Design. Also, it won the Audience Award at the 2021 Locarno International Film Festival which is held is Switzerland. It’s a darn fun film and I will be revisiting it in the future. (Also makes me want to watch Se7en or Luther again). The only reasons that this film isn’t a perfect score is because it’s not on blu-ray and I wanted just a little more detective work. Highly recommended, seek this one out. Enjoy.
| Overall: |  (9 / 10) |
