Short Sharp Shock (1998)

Best movie ever!

Although it has its amusing moments, in eneral the plot does not convince.

At first rather annoying in its heavy emphasis on reenactments, this movie ultimately proves fascinating, simply because the complicated, highly dramatic tale it tells still almost defies belief.

Through painfully honest and emotional moments, the movie becomes irresistibly relatable

I was living in St. Pauli, Hamburg at the end of 1998 when this movie came to a cinema on the Reeperbahn. Then, one evening, I met Faith Akin and the main characters of the movie on this very street, and I congratulated them. I told them I had watched the movie three times already, which was not true, since I had only seen it twice, but decided to go and watch it for a third time, which I did, even though I had little money. But I had to watch this movie over and over again, because I had not expected to ever see anything similar from a Germany-born director. The direct, vital, unpretentious acting and the authenticity of the settings and the language were something that I could't get enough of. Ralph Herforth has never been so convincing. It is one of these movies that reveal new details every time you watch them. At times, the movie seems to become very "turkish" and even over-sentimental, at other times, it is just world-class, as for an example in the post-office scene with Costa and his "awakening". To me, this is maybe THE best movie of Faith Akin so far.

It is truly a shame that this film was overshadowed by the overhyped Lola Rennt. I really enjoyed this film, which has a grit to it that can only be present with realistic characters. Watching this film, it was easy to identify with the characters, whose feelings and emotions are real (unlike many a Hollywood flick).Ralf Herforth is convincing as the Albanian gangster Muhamer, and the other unknown actors do a great job portraying their characters.

I don't think skinheads will love it -- the protagonist is a Turk. There are some unrealistic things in the movie (e.g. when Costas says Gabriel's sister -- who just left Costas -- "is a bitch" and Gabriel nearly does nothing, though it should have indignated his family's honour), but in the whole it is a good study of the milieu. I found my opinion shared by many young immigrants (Turkish, Libanese, Arabian).

the film is full of cliches about foreigners in Germany. they really go for guns, drugs, beating other people and themselves up and killing each other. Turkish parents don´t talk to their kids when they have problems, they prefer to pray to mecca all the time. women are either physically oder psychologically violated. when the brave warriors go out to battle, they stay home crying. in short: the whole picture german nazis paint of foreigners in germany is there. i would therefore think that this movie will soon be a hit on skinhead-parties, who really like to watch a juicy porno once in a while. the stupid hiphop ot "five stars deluxe" sucks anyway.