Tenderness of the wolves
Given the utter dreck that Uli Lommel seems content to shit out these days it's difficult to believe that at one point he was a film-maker capable of turning out something genuinely great. Here Arrow deliver exhibit A to prove he can with a film produced by the legendary Reiner Werner Fassbinder an early mentor with whom Lommel learned much of the craft.
Based on the real life case of Fritz Haarmann, knows as the vampire of Hanover it depicts the day to day life of a serial killer with a surprising amount of restraint. The film switches betweens his social circle, all of who know something is up but don't want to say anything and Haarmann, played to perfection by Kurt Raab, wandering the streets of Hanover eyeing up potential victims. We don't get to see that many murders, a lot is implied and suggested in a way that when a killing finally occurs its actually pretty shocking, and presented in an almost matter of fact way. Raab also wrote the film and did set design and his depiction of Haarman is chillingly believably contrasting an almost cherubic round face with an unsettling intensity behind the eyes that's reminiscent of Peter Lorre. In fact in several places the film even harks back to M and the opening scene of a shadow walking down a street over the credits is very expressionist influenced.
Tenderness is a film worth checking out, its almost infuriating that Lommel couldn't deliver anything nearly as good after moving to America as its clear he had talent. Arrow's blu-ray looks fantastic.
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