Master of Death 2

Movie
Original title	Master of Death 2
Country of production	Germany
original language	German
Publishing year	2020
length	95 minutes
Rod
Director	Daniel Harrich
script	Gert Heidenreich , ; Daniel Harrich, ; Markus Stromiedel
production	Danuta Harrich-Zandberg , ; Walter Harrich , ; Daniel Harrich
music	Ian Honeyman
camera	Michael Praun , ; Walter Harrich, ; Helmuth van der Wielen, ; Iwao Kawasaki
cut	Constantin Dauch
occupation
	Veronica Ferres : Sabine Stengele; Katharina Wackernagel : Christiane Schuhmann; Axel Milberg : Heinz Zöblin; Heiner Lauterbach : Alexander Stengele; Udo Wachtveitl : Otto Lechner; Barbara Philipp : Lisbeth Kraus; Kristyan Ferrer : Miguel Hernández; Désirée Nosbusch : Dr. Johanna Wetzel; Oliver Mommsen : Public Prosecutor Morlock; Heinz Hoenig : Member of the Bundestag Klaus Wagner; Michael Brandner : Kurt Weisgerber; Michael Roll : Dr. Bernd Herkenrath; Heio von Stetten : Prof. August Heberling;

Master of Death 2 is the fifth investigative feature film by filmmaker Daniel Harrich from 2020. Its predecessor Master of Death (2015) is based on years of research into illegal arms deals and shows how politicians and the arms manufacturer HSW bypass arms export controls to sell arms in to deliver the crisis region Mexico. The sequel deals with the subsequent court process, which should clarify a possible violation of the War Weapons Control Act.

The first film, Master of Death, led to criminal investigations and judicial judgments against German arms manufacturers for illegal exports and thus made Master of Death 2 possible in the first place. It is considered unique that a fictional feature film continues to write itself in reality.

action

The film alternately takes place in Germany, where the fictional arms manufacturer HSW has to answer for arms deliveries to Mexico, and in Mexico, where 6 students were shot and 43 disappeared. HSW from Hochdorf (based on Heckler and Koch in Oberndorf) is said to have violated the Foreign Trade Act and the War Weapons Control Act by delivering weapons to Mexico that could not be approved. Alex Stengele, Head of Sales Central and South America, has to choose between his wife Sabine and the company, the "family". She threatens a divorce if he doesn't testify in court. After announcing his testimony in court, he suffers a heart attack, whereupon the widow of the lawyer and human rights activist Christiane Schuhmann joins. With the relatives of the students, they want to find out what happened to the disappeared and the extent of the arms shipments to Mexico. Although the two can procure incriminating material, the process develops more and more into a farce with pawn sacrifices.

Reviews

Tilmann P. Gangloff praised the directing work in the Frankfurter Rundschau: “When implementing his material, Harrich orients himself to the standards of the cinema. The picture design by Michael Praun is exquisite. In the court scenes, elegant tracking shots prevent the scenes from becoming a chamber play; In Mexico, taking pictures with a hand-held camera gives the images a documentary effect. "At the same time, he regrets:" As in the foreign thriller by ARD subsidiary Degeto, everyone involved speaks perfect German; the original voices might have sounded more convincing, especially in the lamenting scenes. "

Arno Frank from SPIEGELkultur recommends the film as “an explosive and brilliant theme evening in the first”. “It's worth switching on just because of the actors. “Master of Death 2” would be a good “crime scene” - if the plot wasn't based on a true story. ”Frank sums up:“ Harrich and his team are not interested in pointing the moral finger at German medium-sized companies. It is important to him that laws are actually enforced and not subordinated to greed. It is basically an appeal to the responsible public prosecutor's offices, an application for appeal to the Federal Court of Justice. As if by the way, this journalism is an answer to the question of why public law is needed. Therefore."

Thomas Gehringer at tittelbach.tv underlines the value of the film as critical public television : “In combination with a subsequent documentary, Harrich / Heidenreich ensure that the subject of arms exports once again reaches a broad public - that's committed, critical television, as one can wish for it more often. “Master of Death 2” is on the one hand a rousing court and economic drama, on the other hand the story of a liberation: With Veronica Ferres as the widow of a former HSW manager who overcomes her alcohol addiction and changes sides. Gripping, revealing, sometimes a bit striking. "

Documentation for the ARD theme evening

The documentation Deadly Exports: Arms Managers in Court describes the real background to Masters of Death . The content is about the criminal case against the German weapons manufacturer Heckler & Koch for illegal war weapons exports to Mexico before the Stuttgart Regional Court . The filmmakers show that dozens of Heckler & Koch HK G36s were used in the mass kidnapping in Iguala in 2014 . The film also addresses the business practices of the German arms manufacturer SIG Sauer (arms manufacturer) and reveals new allegedly illegal arms deals. The author Arno Frank describes the theme evening as "an appeal to the responsible public prosecutor's offices, an application for an appeal to the Federal Court of Justice ".

In Fatal Exports 2 - Arms Managers in Court , the then responsible President of the Federal Office for Economics and Export Control Arnold Wallraff and the former Federal Minister of Economics Sigmar Gabriel comment on the allegations for the first time. The former member of the Bundestag Jan van Aken was a trial observer in the Stuttgart proceedings.

Effects

On the evening of the broadcast, the Kiel public prosecutor confirmed to the DPA new investigations against the arms company SIG Sauer (weapons manufacturer) based on the publications of the ARD theme evening.

Due to the corona pandemic, the premiere in the German Bundestag had to be canceled. Several MPs saw the film as part of an online preview and received comments in writing and via social media.

Sevim Dağdelen - The Left :

"The current corona pandemic shows us clearly: The mad business with arms and arms exports must be stopped. We need the billions for building and expanding crisis-proof health systems. That's why I hope that this ARD theme evening will also have legal and political consequences. "