The Robber Blu-ray Movie

Rating summary

Movie		3.0
Video		4.0
Audio		4.0
Extras		0.5
Overall		3.0

The Robber Blu-ray Movie Review

The Loneliness of a Long Distance Bank Robbing Runner

Reviewed by Casey Broadwater October 16, 2011

Why do serious runners run? Is it the adrenaline high? The discipline of a daily routine? The accomplishment of doing 20k before most people even wake up in the morning? The meditative quality of putting one foot in front of the other and moving alone through the streets? You could ask the same of anyone who turns a hobby into a regimented lifestyle, but since we’re discussing a film called The Robber, about a marathon racer who holds up banks in his free time, let’s turn the question on criminals: Why do repeat robbers rob? The adrenaline high? The intricacy of the planning and execution? The kick of getting away with it? Or, is it just about the cash?

The film, a stoic thriller by German director Benjamin Heisenberg, draws an obvious correlation between running and robbing, but it never addresses the psychological motivations of its main character in any meaningful way. While this is intentional—he’s clearly meant to be an enigma of an anti- hero, unreadable and aloof from the world—it ultimately has the effect of distancing the audience from the action. We just don’t really care what happens, one way or another, to this pavement-pounding criminal. The Robber is slickly photographed and edited, and it is genuinely tense in its white-knuckle last act, but by the time it crosses the finish line, as a spectator you’ll probably feel emotionally and intellectually unsatisfied.

Using co-screenwriter Martin Prinz’ novel as a starting point, The Robber is based on the true story of Johann Kastenberger—his last name is changed to Rettenberger here—a marathon runner who robbed a series of Austrian banks in the late 1980s wearing a Ronald Reagan mask and wielding a pump-action shotgun. (Naturally, the press dubbed him “Shotgun Ronnie,” which is pretty much the best nickname ever.) The film opens with Johann in prison for a previous robbery, and we get the immediate sense that he’s set himself apart from his fellow inmates, running laps in the courtyard during rec time—while the others smoke and shoot the breeze—and passing the hours alone in his cell jogging in place on a treadmill. He’s stony-faced, focused. Doing hard time seems relatively easy for him—he can devote himself exclusively to training. When asked what he’ll look forward to most about being a free man again, he responds, “I won’t have to run in circles anymore.”

Upon Johann’s release, his parole officer (Markus Schleinzer) advises him not to fall back into old habits and cautions him that he won’t be able to make much money as a runner, but Johann doesn’t heed either warning. As soon as he’s out, he steals a car, robs a bank, and promptly wins first place in the Vienna Marathon, beating out 30,000 other runners and netting an enormous cash reward. A sports magazine proclaims him as “The Great Unknown,” and as a character, that’s precisely what he is—a blank, biographically and emotionally. I expected the film to eventually work toward some sort of philosophical reveal or at least show the method to Johann’s particular brand of madness, but there are only fleeting hints as to why he’s so isolated and driven to rob and run.

It has zilch to do with the money, apparently. Johann holds up quite a few banks over the course of the film, and after each heist he empties the stolen cash into a trash bag—this seems symbolic—and stuffs it under his bed. We never see him even count his money, let alone spend it. It’s merely a by-product of his obsession, something he’d just as soon throw away. He lives frugally in a room rented from Erika (Franziska Weisz), a former acquaintance he just happened to see at an employment center, and we know next to nothing about her either. They seem to be old family friends, maybe since childhood, though it’s hard to say. Easier to discern is the sexual tension between the two of them, but even their inevitable physical relationship is taciturn and cold—intercourse, you might say, not lovemaking. Johann is simply incapable of opening himself to others. This is a valid observation, of course, but the way the character is written is so austere and unexplained that it verges on dullness. There’s just not much of a story here.

What there is, however, is fantastic camerawork and a few thrilling chase sequences. When Johann is running for his life, as opposed to just running for its own sake, the otherwise pulseless film is charged with energy. In one thrilling scene, Johann robs three banks in the span of a few minutes, with the police always one step behind him. To get away, he darts through maze-like hallways and vaults over fences, speeding finally to the outskirts of town. Later, after escaping police custody for another crime, he finds himself pursued up a mountain at dusk as hundreds of officers close in with flashlights. This is all exciting and tense, but we ultimately watch with indifference. We’re not rooting for Johann, and we don’t really care if he gets caught either. We’re more like impartial, uninvolved observers, and that’s a rather ho-hum position for us to be in as an audience.

Superficially, The Robber bears some resemblance to Götz Spielmann’s Revanche, another crime film set in Austria with a bank- robbing anti-hero protagonist, but the latter is a much better film. Revanche—which actually features Andreas Lust in a supporting role— has what The Robber doesn’t: a devastating, intelligently written story and a main character who goes through a dramatic arc that’s morally and philosophically loaded. In contrast, Johann Rettenberger is just running in circles.

The Robber Blu-ray Movie, Video Quality 

The Robber features impressively naturalistic 35mm photography by cinematographer Reinhold Vorschneider, and Kino-Lorber has done Vorschneider's work justice with a 1080p/AVC-encoded transfer that looks wonderful on Blu-ray. As usual, Kino presents the film with no unnecessary digital boosting or modifications. There are no signs whatsoever of excessive edge enhancement or noise reduction, the print is in perfect condition, and there are no blatant compression artifacts or other encode issues. The image looks entirely natural and, I assume, exactly as intended. It seems that only sunlight or pre-existing lighting was used for most of the film, and this produces a few expected effects. "Faster" film stock was clearly used for darker sequences, which results in spiked grain levels, and there are a few scenes—like when Johann and Erika first kiss—where the picture is extremely dark. (If you have a highly reflective screen, make sure you turn off any bright lights before watching.) Just for clarification, these aren't problems with the transfer but, rather, byproducts of the way the movie was shot. Throughout the film, color is realistic and suitably dense, and clarity—while not tack sharp—is generally excellent, allowing fine detail to be visible in all the areas where you normally look for it. This might not be the most visually striking Blu-ray picture you'll see this year, but I think The Robber looks great.

The Robber Blu-ray Movie, Audio Quality 

The film's German DTS-HD Master Audio 5.1 surround track is nearly as minimalist as the emotional characterization of Johann, but the balance of hushed quiet with key sound effects is actually quite successful. Most of the action takes place up front, but the rear channels are used often for ambience—chatter in the prison, tinged with reverb, wind and bird sounds, the cheers of spectators on the marathon sidelines—along with occasional directional effects, like gunshots or a helicopter that pans through the surrounds. There's very little music in the film that isn't incidental—for inexplicable reasons, Johann likes to listen to dippy pop music in his stolen cars—but when orchestral or operatic cues are used, they sound rich and clear and forceful. Dialogue is always balanced and free from muffling, and the disc comes with optional English subtitles, which are turned on by default.

The Robber Blu-ray Movie, Special Features and Extras 

Unfortunately, the only bonuses on the disc are a stills gallery with a 24 photos, and high definition trailers for The Robber, City of Life and Death, Armadillo, Korkoro, and Army of Crime.

The Robber Blu-ray Movie, Overall Score and Recommendation 

The Robber features some intense get-away scenes—gorgeously photographed as well—but it's seriously lacking in the drama department. The film is simply too emotionally austere for its own good. It's still worth watching if you're into stark European thrillers, but don't expect to be invested in the story. I'd recommend a rental.