The Robber

The Robber

This amazing film was based on a novel that was based on a true story of a bank robber. The robberies were in the 1980’s in Vienna Austria.

Johann Rettenbrger is about to be released from prison after a six year stint for robbery. Each day he ran in the prison yard and clocked his running. I found it strange that he had a stair master in his cell. He was know for running in marathons and wanted to keep up his practice in jail. His parole officer tells him that he wants him to be free to run outside and not in the jail.

Once released he starts running in marathons and has amazing results.30,000 runners entered the 25^th Vienna Marathon. He came first. Why doesn’t he get a job? Any job offered gets in the way of his training. He is asked if he has any plans when he leaves jail. He says.” I’ll take it as it comes.”

It becomes apparent that his excellent running speed and endurance is an asset for his robberies. He wears a mask and carries a rifle. He robs banks, steals cars and seems to get away with it all. He never smiles and always has the same doer look on his face.

During a meeting with his probation officer he encounters a former girlfriend Erica. He ends up moving into her apartment. They become lovers and we see a different side to Johann. Later he tells her,” I am bad luck for you.”

One evening in a restaurant another patron knocked his chair. You could see him get rattled but he didn’t do anything. It showed the underlying anger that could erupt at any minute.

He walks into banks in mid day and is able to steal a lot of money. He then runs away and usually gets into a car he had previously stolen that was parked in the vicinity.

I confess that at first I felt myself almost hoping he would get away with it all. He was so skillful.

Once people started to die as a result of his actions I just wanted him to be caught. Sometimes when he was running there were loud drum beats in the background. I found my heart rate increasing and I almost felt as if I was running.

There was a spectacular scene showing him trying to get away from the large number of policemen hunting him down at night. The glowing flashlights were haunting as they got closer to him.

He was able to jump out of a window in the jail and escape. He could run for hours as he was being pursued. He was in such great physical form that he managed to escape the policemen for a long time.

The ending is painful and drawn out.

The acting was spectacular. Andreas Lust who plays the part of Johann gives one of the best performances I have seen this year.

The cinematography is also an important part of the film. He often is running down country lanes or through large fields. They are in direct contrast to the fast pace of his running.

The suspense builds up and I found myself wanting to have the pain end even though I knew I was watching a masterful performance.

The Robber is currently playing at the TIFF Bell Lightbox. It is such a pleasure to sit in the luxurious seats and enjoy s the fine films presented there.