"Der Fall Jakob von Metzler" is a German 90-minute movie from 4 years ago and as a television production it is certainly above average looking at all the mediocrity and garbage that can currently be seen here on German television. The title already says what it is about, a case that has been in the news for a long time in Germany. A man named Magnus Gäfgen abducts and kills Jakob von Metzler, a boy and son of a rich family. The killers motives were only of a financial nature, not of a sexual. He is caught quickly, brought to trial and sentenced to life in prison. I quite liked Allmayer's performance here, my favorite cast member right now. But the one who got the most awards attention was Robert Atzorn. He played Wolfgang Daschner and the last half hour of the film could also be called "Der Fall Wolfgang Daschner" as it is all about the head of the police's decision to allow his team to use torture or at least to threaten Gäfgen with torture in order to find out where he hid the boy. Obviously, at this point they were still thinking about the possibility that little Jakob may still be alive, even if he was long dead. It's a moral decision and a very controversial issue where both sides make sense to some extent. I guess the final decision of the court was a good one, namely to punish Daschner, but not severely. German audiences will probably know about the details of the case, but I also think this film can be a good watch for foreign audiences as they will probably not know and can always wonder about what paths this film is going to take plot-wise. As tragic as this story is, it shows us again that reality tells the most compelling and interesting stories. I certainly recommend the watch here. Thumbs up.
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