Crime scene: the fourth man
| Episode of the series Tatort | |
|---|---|
| Original title | The fourth man |
| Country of production | Germany |
| original language | German |
| Production company |
RBB |
| length | 88 minutes |
| classification | Episode 567 ( List ) |
| First broadcast | May 9, 2004 on Das Erste |
| Rod | |
| Director | Hannu Salonen |
| script | Hartmann Schmige |
| production | Jürgen Haase |
| music | Karim Sebastian Elias |
| camera | Andreas Doub |
| cut | Julia Oehring |
| occupation | |
| |
The fourth man is a television film from the crime series Tatort by ARD and ORF . It is the eleventh joint case of the Berlin investigator duo Ritter and Stark . The RBB produced the film under the direction of Hannu Salonen and was broadcast for the first time on May 9, 2004 in Das Erste .
action
Late in the evening, the customs inspector Heinze and his colleague Westermann pass the house of the restorer Lohmeyer and discover that there seems to be a burglar in his apartment. Heinze tries to catch the man, but he can escape. When they then look in the apartment, they find Lohmeyer shot. The commissioners Till Ritter and Felix Stark assume a robbery murder. Heinze claims to have seen the man who fled from him before. Thereupon the convicted burglar Harald (Harry) Wolter can be identified in the criminal record.
The investigators first question Wolter's ex-wife Sandra, who sends them to Harry's local pub. There the wanted fled immediately when he noticed the police officers, but could be stopped by knights. He admits that he knew Lohmeyer but did not kill him. The victim owed him, which he wanted to settle shortly. Harry escapes at a local appointment in Lohmeyer's stairwell. He goes into hiding and spends the day with his son Andreas, whom he simply picks up from school without his mother's knowledge. Since the only witness who claims to have seen Harry at the scene has an old account with the suspect, Ritter and Stark have doubts about Harry's perpetration. They manage to find the petty criminal. He persuades the two superintendents to examine Lohmeyer's apartment again because, in his opinion, the killer was looking for something. Together with Harry, the investigators actually find an unknown painting from German Impressionism hidden behind a television . Stark considers it a Liebermann who should have a not inconsiderable value. To determine this, Ritter and Stark consult the art historian Florentine Bruck, who they assume was in contact with the victim. She denies this, whereupon the commissioners observe her and follow her to a Professor Thomson.
In the meantime, Weber found out that Lohmeyer was normally able to record regular incoming payments on his account, but that these have not occurred for three months. Nevertheless, boxes of real caviar are piled up in his apartment, which Harry says he has regularly received from the importer Waldbach. He states that Lohmeyer worked for him occasionally. Obviously, Professor Thomson also associates with Waldbach, so Ritter and Stark question Florentine Bruck again. But she continues to deny that she had any contact with Lohmeyer.
When a witness is found who can give Harry an alibi for the time of the crime, he is released from custody. Whereupon he immediately goes to Florentine Bruck and puts her under pressure. However, it doesn't take long before the alibi turns out to be false. In order to prove his innocence, the investigators offer Harry to cooperate with the police. With his help they try to lure Professor Thomson, Florentine Bruck and the importer Waldbach out of the reserve. Harry calls the three individually and blackmails them with his knowledge of Lohmeyer and their machinations.
Stark finds out that the Liebermann is actually real and that it disappeared as looted art to Russia after World War II . The value is around ten million euros. Presumably Waldbach smuggled the pictures to Germany and Florentine Bruck provided the expertises . Professor Thomson took over the resale. Lohmeyer was supposed to restore these works of art occasionally and simply did not return the last picture, which the murderer then tried to take by force. Confronted with these facts and caught red-handed during the next picture smuggling, the three are arrested. Buck admits that Lohmeyer should be intimidated into returning the picture. For this purpose they have given a fourth man an order, as he should now also take care of the Harry problem. They hadn't planned for this fourth man to kill Lohmeyer right away. In their search for the ominous stranger, Ritter and Stark can prevent him from harming Harry and his boy. However, Harry is shot in the process, but the assassin can be caught. It is: Customs inspector Claus Heinze.
background
The fourth man was produced by ProVobis Film on behalf of Rundfunk Berlin-Brandenburg under the working title Lohmeyer's commission . The shooting took place in Berlin.
reception
Audience ratings
When it was first broadcast on May 9, 2004, the episode The Fourth Man in Germany was seen by 7.54 million viewers, which corresponded to a market share of 22.30 percent.
criticism
Rainer Tittelbach from tittelbach.tv says appreciatively: “'The fourth man'” is finally a successful 'Tatort' from Berlin. The loose, fluffy whispering of Ritter and Stark [...] which often seems a bit fake and gives the crime novels irony, but mostly also takes away their dramatic intensity - here it meets an adequate antagonist. [...] So a bit of Hitchcock, a bit of rogue comedy, with a touch of realism - this 'crime scene' about looted art and Russian smuggled goods is simply fun and is even exciting. Salonen and the actors only had to work on the supporting role dialogues from veteran Hartmann Schmige. "
The critics of the television magazine TV Spielfilm think this crime scene is: “A thriller with classic ingredients, comedic elements and subtly drawn characters. [Conclusion:] Realistic, humorous, convincing types. "
Web links
- Crime scene: The fourth man in the Internet Movie Database (English)
- Summary of the plot of The Fourth Man on the ARD website
- The fourth man in the crime scene fund
- The fourth man at Tatort-Fans.de
Individual evidence
- ↑ a b Filming locations and audience ratings at tatort-fundus.de, accessed on September 25, 2014.
- ^ Rainer Tittelbach: Film review on tittelbach.tv, accessed on September 25, 2014.
- ↑ Short review at tvspielfilm.de, accessed on September 25, 2014.
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