Crime scene: death of a grasshopper
| Episode of the series Tatort | |
|---|---|
| Original title | Death of a grasshopper |
| Country of production | Germany |
| original language | German |
| Production company |
RBB |
| length | 88 minutes |
| classification | Episode 691 ( List ) |
| First broadcast | March 16, 2008 on Das Erste |
| Rod | |
| Director | Ralph Bohn |
| script | Hartmann Schmige |
| production | Mario Melzer |
| music |
Claus Quidde , Michael O'Ryan |
| camera | Thomas Etzold |
| cut | Claudia Fröhlich |
| occupation | |
| |
Death of a grasshopper is a television film from the crime series Tatort by ARD and ORF . It is the 18th joint case of the Berlin investigator duo Ritter and Stark . The RBB produced the television film, directed by Ralph Bohn . It was first broadcast on March 16, 2008 in Das Erste .
action
Simone Scholl, the boss of a Berlin scene club frequented by high society and international business giants, receives a phone call informing her that something has happened to one of her guests. She looks immediately and is horrified to discover that the American hedge fund manager Ted Wilson is lying dead in front of the multi-storey club building.
The chief inspectors Till Ritter and Felix Stark have to clarify whether the fall from a height of 25 meters is an accident or a murder. At first, Ritter is amazed because he still knows the boss of the club from his old taxi driver days. Simone Scholl has managed to work her way up from the simple pub to this luxury club. She gives the inspectors information about one of Wilson's companions who was near him that evening and about a woman with whom the victim had spoken. The investigators quickly find out that it is Franka Schönbaum, who had an affair with the victim. It is also noticeable that Wilson's briefcase and notebook have obviously disappeared. Since he was a so-called "grasshopper" and was supposed to handle the takeover of the successful company "Brom-AG", a strong motive can be assumed here. A conversation with Robert 'Bob' Miller, a representative of the American embassy, brings up a wider circle of suspects. In Miller's opinion, foreign terrorist powers are interested in Wilson's insider knowledge in order to destabilize the economic situation in European and American countries. Indirectly, he admits to have secured Wilsen's work materials. Ritter and Stark insist that the items be returned for investigation. The evaluation of the cell phone calls shows that Wilson spoke to Franka Schönbaum on the phone remarkably often. The investigators learn from her that Klaus Werner, the works council chairman of the “Brom-AG”, was probably the last to see Wilsen alive. They question him and he again claims that Wilson has seen an argument with a young woman. Since Ritter and Stark know that this could only have been Franka Schönbaum, their apartment is then searched. It turns out that in addition to her affair with Wilson, Franka Schönbaum also had a boyfriend, which makes an act of jealousy seem possible. Before Ritter and Stark can question Franka's friend, however, the research shows that Klaus Werner was bribed by Wilson.
Ritter and Stark now have different suspects, but no real lead. You summon Daniel Weiss, Franka Schönbaum's friend, who is obviously an accomplished computer specialist and hacker. He behaves conspicuously and makes himself suspicious, but there is no concrete evidence against him as the murderer of Wilson.
An interview with Hopkins, from the investment company "Blue Mountain Invest", for which Wilson had made the assessment of "Brom-AG", shows that he has advised against the takeover. As a result, Michael Zinger, who also works for Blue Mountain Invest, would miss the commission he was hoping for. Due to a tip from Robert Miller, the escort girl Kirsten Tomaschek is also among the suspects. As part of her job, she has to do with foreign guests. She is currently supervising Dr. Wong, an economist from Changhai. When asked, it turns out that Michael Zinger not only worked for Hopkins, but also for Wong. So he would not only have missed out on the failed sale of "Brom-AG", but would have been a failure in front of Wong. He did not want to allow this personal defeat and has eliminated Wilson in order to achieve the takeover of the company at any cost. As proof of their suspicion, the investigators have the cell phone calls from the radio cell in the area of the club evaluated. This clearly shows that Michael Zinger was there at the time of the crime.
background
Death of a grasshopper was produced by the film production company Askania Media on behalf of the Berlin-Brandenburg broadcasting company. The shooting took place in the Berlin districts of Berlin-Mitte ( Friedrichstrasse ), Charlottenburg ( Kurfürstendamm ) and Tempelhof ( airport ).
reception
Audience ratings
6.55 million viewers saw the episode Death of a Locust in Germany when it was first broadcast on March 16, 2008, corresponding to a market share of 18.4 percent.
criticism
Rainer Tittelbach from tittelbach.tv says appreciatively: “'Death of a grasshopper' skilfully touches on its numerous stories and tries to mix them up a bit in the dramaturgy of modern times. [...] With an almost documentary sobriety, the camera accompanies the investigators, who, thank God, have little time for inappropriate jokes. The game is correspondingly focused. Things are looking up with the Berlin 'Tatort' ”.
At Stern.de , Kathrin Buchner judges: “Everything that has to do with power, money, sex and global networking was packed into this big Berlin 'crime scene' by screenwriter Hartmann Schmige. The watching is correspondingly fast-paced and entertaining. […] 'Death of a Locust' stirs up as much dust as a swarm of these pests. However, once you've seen this rollercoaster thriller, you feel just as empty as a piece of field grazed by grasshoppers. "
Tilmann P. Gangloff from Kino.de writes: The director “Ralph Bohn stages the crime thriller at a suitably metropolitan pace, the agile handheld camera (Thomas Etzold) never leaves the characters, and Stark's son (Aaron Altaras) proves why Hegels despite his theory of synthesis would not have become a good criminologist. "
The critics of the television magazine TV Spielfilm think the crime scene: “Exciting and complex - with many interesting characters, which unfortunately all fall short in the end. [Conclusion:] Somewhat overloaded, but still interesting. "
Web links
- Crime scene: Death of a grasshopper in the Internet Movie Database (English)
- Summary of the plot of the death of a grasshopper on the ARD website
- Death of a grasshopper in the crime scene fund
- Death of a grasshopper at Tatort-Fans.de
Individual evidence
- ↑ a b Filming locations and audience ratings at tatort-fundus.de, accessed on September 17, 2014.
- ^ Rainer Tittelbach: Film review on tittelbach.tv, accessed on September 18, 2014.
- ↑ Kathrin Buchner: The crashed investment banker on stern.de, September 18, 2014.
- ^ Tilmann P. Gangloff : Film review at kino.de, accessed on September 18, 2014.
- ↑ Short review on tvspielfilm.de, accessed on September 18, 2014.
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