What to Do in Case of Fire? (2001)

Very disappointed :(

One of my all time favorites.

Just intense enough to provide a much-needed diversion, just lightweight enough to make you forget about it soon after it’s over. It’s not exactly “good,” per se, but it does what it sets out to do in terms of putting us on edge, which makes it … successful?

Mostly, the movie is committed to the value of a good time.

In 1987, in Berlin, six young idealistic anarchic activists leave a handcrafted bomb in a mansion. Only thirteen years later the bomb explodes, wounding two persons. The police force, under the command of the experienced inspector Manowsky (Klaus Löwitsch), investigate the terrorist act and go to the old apartment, where Tim (Til Schweiger) and the crippled Hotte (Martin Feifel) live, collecting all possible evidences, including many films. One of these films show the group making the bomb, and Hotte and Tim decide to find the former four members of their group to tell them that they may go to jail, if the investigation watch the film. Maik (Sebastian Blomberg) is a successful man working in an advertisement agency; Terror (Matthias Matschke) is a lawyer; Nele (Nadja Uhl) is a mother of two children; and Flo (Doris Schretzmayer) is a mysterious wealthy woman. The group joins force and plots a plan to retrieve the film.I am really impressed with the quality of the German movies released on DVD in Brazil in the last years. All of them are excellent films, including "Was Tun, Wenn's Brennt"? The dramatic story has action and humor and an unusual situation, with a good discussion between values, such as friendship, idealism and surrender to the system. The story has no clichés, and it is interesting to revisit the idealism that most of us have when we are young and try to embrace the world, and our "final destination" being part of the system. My vote is eight.Title (Brazil): "O Que Fazer Em Caso de Incêndio?" ("What to Do In Case of Fire?")

This is a touching movie about a group of young, idealist anarchists who lose their beliefs and their friendships and become what they never expected. In being a slightly older than young idealist/activist myself I found this film very moving. But I think it can appeal to anyone who has had close friendships, only to see them pulled apart by approaching adulthood, social responsibilities, or changes in values. The film actually portrays these young punks in a convincing way unlike many other movies I've seen in which underground or subversive groups are shown in the most basest of stereotypes. The characters' background story or former look is not the focus though, so it does rush through that time rather quickly. The main draw in the film is the amazing job it does showing all of the reasons for the group's disbanding. You sympathize with each of the characters and can understand each of their reasons for choosing their current lifestyles. The plot is solid, the characters engaging, and the dialogue can be quite funny. This is the kind of film that has you laughing, crying and cheering all in a span of 2 hrs. Highly recommended.

'What to do in case of fire' is an amazingly honest movie dealing with the anarchy past in Berlin pre reunification. A group of six ex-anarchists have a 'little' problem when a 12 year old bomb suddenly explodes in Berlin and they have to get a hold on a self-made movie showing evidence that they're responsible. While two of them are still active in demos and such, one is trying to hold on to her ideals while being a mother to two little children, the other three have completely turned away from their old ways and become 'respectable citizens'. This is the entertaining part, seeing these very different persons to come back together again and try to get their hide out of the situation without going to jail. But if you look deeper, this is a movie about the difference of people still living in the past and on the other hand people trying to forget their past, showing us that neither way will work.It is simple to sympathize with the group, for their reluctance to hurt people, their very normal lives and their wish to change something in a world they don't feel they can accept.

There's little question that "What to do in Case of Fire" is an excellent production in all respects. However, the film has one huge flaw. Telling of "Group 39", a motley bunch of 6 young left-wing two-bit terrorist freedom fighters in a divided Germany, who, with the exception of two hapless hold-outs, do a hippy-to-yuppie end-of-the-cold-war metamorphosis, the film asks us, the audience, to cleave to their heroics as they set about to destroy police evidence linking them to a 12 year old bomb which is accidentally detonated causing only minor injuries to the innocent victims by making another bomb and planting it in the Police building. Unfortunately, it was for me, and may be for others, difficult to buy into the group's reprise as a terrorist by any other name is still a terrorist. Unlike the French film "Bandits", which creates the requisite a la Robin Hood public enthusiasm for a girl band of escaped convicts, this flick does little to make us want to care about its protagonists who are simply adding insult to injury during the run. For those who can overcome this huge flaw and buy-into the comedy-drama, an enjoyable watch awaits. (B-)