Traces of Evil: The Interrogation

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Episode in the Traces of Evil series
Original title The interrogation
Country of production Germany , Austria
original language German
Production
company		 Josef Aichholzer film production
length 90 minutes
Age rating FSK 12
classification Episode 1 ( list )
First broadcast January 5, 2011 on ORF 2
German-language
first broadcast		 January 10, 2012 on ZDF
Rod
Director Andreas Prochaska
script Martin Ambrosch
production Josef Aichholzer
music Matthias Weber
camera David Slama
cut Daniel Prochaska
occupation
chronology

Successor  →
avenging angel

The interrogation (original title Traces of Evil ) is a German-Austrian television film from 2011 and the first episode of the crime series Traces of Evil with Heino Ferch in the lead role. Directed by Andreas Prochaska . Martin Ambrosch wrote the script .

action

Maria Kemminger wants to visit her sister and finds her brutally murdered. Since the murderer is still in the apartment, Kemminger's life is also in danger and only her cries for help save her life. Traumatized by this experience, she is unable to make a statement and describe the perpetrator. Stefan Merz, of the Vienna police, therefore asks the psychologist Dr. Richard Brock for help. He has already stood by Merz as an interrogation specialist several times. In relation to the previous research, Brock learns that Maria Kemminger had not seen the face of the alleged perpetrator and that he walked through the apartment naked. Furthermore, there was an immensely high amount of almost 75 million euros on the victim's account. For this reason, the victim had been under surveillance by the economic police for a long time. According to their knowledge, it is money from the company where the victim was employed. This multinational construction company was due to appear in court for corruption shortly and Kemminger was invited as an important witness. If convicted, this could cost thousands of jobs, which would have far-reaching political consequences. A possible first impact could be the fact that the victim had asked for police protection shortly before his murder, which was not approved by the competent authority - although the woman was to testify in a trial as a key witness shortly.

Brock starts working with the witness. He makes her remember what happened briefly and learns that the man had a scar on his stomach. That is enough for him for the first day and he ends the "session". After Brock's reconstruction of the course of the crime, the perpetrator wanted to wash off the blood in the bathroom and therefore undressed. He hadn't expected the sister of his victim to appear. In addition, the victim is likely to have known the killer and voluntarily allowed into the apartment. Michael Sand, the CEO of the AG concerned, is therefore suspected of having committed the murder of his own employee, or of having commissioned it. Brock tells him this on the head to lure him out of his reserve. However, the result is more serious than expected, because Kemminger's immediate superior Ratzer is found dead the next day. For the investigators it is clear that the man was thrown to his death and it was not a suicide - as an alleged admission of guilt by Ratzers. Because he doesn't have a scar on his stomach.

Witness Maria Kemminger was taken to a secret location immediately after her first questioning to protect her. Brock's daughter Petra, who recently started working for the police, is assigned to guard her. Accordingly, the psychiatrist is extremely concerned and this proves to be justified, because there is soon an attack on Maria Kemminger, which she does not survive. Three more police officers are killed and Petra Brock is critically injured. Brock is deeply involved in the case and interested in the clarification. The first question that arises for him is who could have revealed the whereabouts of the witness. The cell phone was probably tapped, which can also be proven after a test. However, only the police and the secret service have such technology. Brock has no doubt that Michael Sand is the mastermind behind the whole thing and that he is going on the offensive. He not only threatens his opponent, but wants to summon him to the police station for interrogation. He can prove to him that “Sand AG” had made various payments amounting to millions to the secretary Kemminger. Clearly, Sand had personally signed this money order. Before Sand arrives, Stefan Merz contacts Brock to allegedly inquire about the current status of his investigations and what approach he wants to use with Sand. Since Brock had not spoken to anyone about his phone call with Sand, only the person who had eavesdropped on their conversation could know about the summons. Brock is therefore certain that Merz is the traitor. He cradles this for a while until he presents the chain of circumstantial evidence against him. It turns out that he was not incited to murder by Sand, but had done so on his own responsibility to cover up his connections with the SandAG company when the matter got out of hand. For sand, he was only supposed to get the incriminating documents from Kemminger's apartment. So convicted, Merz wants to shoot himself, but does not manage to do so in the end.

"Everything you want to forget screams for help in your dream."

- Dr. Robert Brock : Traces of Evil - The Interrogation

background

The interrogation was shot as the opening film of the crime series Traces of Evil from March 22 to April 23, 2010 in Vienna and the surrounding area. The German television premiere took place on January 10, 2012 on ZDF . The original title is just like the name of the crime series and was later given the addition Das Verhör for the DVD and then also for the 3sat broadcast to better distinguish it .

reception

Audience rating

The first broadcast of Das Verhör on January 10, 2012 on ZDF reached 5.40 million viewers and a market share of 16.2 percent.

Reviews

Michael Hanfeld wrote for the Frankfurter Allgemeine Zeitung : “As befits a thriller, an atmosphere of constant threat prevails in 'Traces of Evil' from the start - and without the tension ever lessening. Martin Ambrosch's book ensures that it remains open until the very end who is ultimately responsible for six murders and who wants Brock down the road. The direction by Andreas Prochaska drives the actors to exceptionally dense play - Heino Ferch as Brock; Nina Proll as his colleague Vera Angerer, who was not at all enthusiastic about him; Erwin Steinhauer as a jovial-looking department head from the Ministry of the Interior. "

Rainer Tittelbach from Tittelbach.tv wrote appreciatively: “The criminal psychologist Richard Brock is a seeker, a doubter, sometimes a desperate man - and he is on the trail of a series of murders in Vienna. 'Traces of Evil' is a classic (psychological) crime thriller - the characters are clearly drawn, the plot is straightforward, and the suspense is archetypal. Exceptional genre filmmaker Andreas Prochaska reconciles action and psychology, meaning and effect, head and gut. Heino Ferch really strong again. David Slama's camera is also exceptional. Three 'Romys' for the film! "

The critics of the TV magazine TV Spielfilm gave the best rating without comment (thumbs up).

Web links

Individual evidence

  1. ^ The interrogation at crew united . Retrieved January 23, 2019.
  2. ^ A b Rainer Tittelbach: Ferch, Proll, Andreas Prochaska. An obsessively reduced personality identified! , accessed on Tittelbach.tv on January 23, 2019.
  3. ↑ Michael Hanfeld: What you want to forget calls for help at faz.de, accessed on February 28, 2019.
  4. ↑ Traces of Evil - The Interrogation Film Review at tvspielfilm.de , accessed on January 23, 2019.