Bloody Friday (1972)

To all those who have watched it: I hope you enjoyed it as much as I do.

Funny, strange, confrontational and subversive, this is one of the most interesting experiences you'll have at the cinema this year.

A film with more than the usual spoiler issues. Talking about it in any detail feels akin to handing you a gift-wrapped present and saying, "I hope you like it -- It's a thriller about a diabolical secret experiment."

what a terribly boring film. I'm sorry but this is absolutely not deserving of best picture and will be forgotten quickly. Entertaining and engaging cinema? No. Nothing performances with flat faces and mistaking silence for subtlety.

If you consider the fact that the Italians, back in the seventies, were champions in the eurocrime exploitation genre (poliziotto), than it's no wonder they would have a go at it in other countries as well. Cineproduzione Daunia 70 (from Caliber 9) tried it in Germany with actor/director Rolf Olsen. He made the crime film Wenn es nacht wird auf der Reeperbahn in 1967, and the prostitution drama Der Pfarrer von St. Pauli in 1970, which are both quite good, so you understand why he wrote and directed it.Bloody Friday is a more German version of the stylistic Italian poliziotto. It is tougher, more direct and also more over the top, I mean, it is sometimes TOO SILLY. The escape of Heinz Klett (great acting by Raimund Harmstorf by the way) on itself might be believable, but why would Heidi incriminate herself suddenly for her boyfriend Luigi, or would her brother do just the same for her? Just robbing a bank with a maniac, what can go wrong? The heart of the film is this violent character Heinz. He is the cause of everything. How he bluntly accepts these amateurs for nothing less than a bank robbery, that's typical Heinz. He is like a caricature of a man, aggressive, sexist, opportunist and over confident. People who die just deserve it because they are weak, in his opinion.Bloody Friday might look terrible at some point, but this film isn't as bad as it looks. It actually brings some surprising social undertones to the genre, which are usually lacking in poliziotteschi. The desperation from the other robbers give the film an humanistic context. Heidi and Luigi want to escape from their shitty jobs, while the brother is a deserter. It is also (very loosely) based on a real story, as Germany had to endure a lot of violence in this period – terrorism from extreme left wing organizations and violent bank robberies, not only by professionals, but also by amateurs, like in this film. I rate it 7/10.

With a friend of the family having recently gotten online at last,I was shown a few days ago some DVDs that he has brought online.Very kindly,that I could borrow some of the films from him to watch,So I decided to pick the most recent one of his DVD's that had turned up. Whilst the film does look pretty batted, (dirt and lines appear on the only print of the film that has come out on DVD)it is still a very watchable bank- robbery/hostage thriller. The plot:After having gotten their friend (Heinz Klett) out of court,three friends decided that they are going to rob a bank for half a million,so that they can leave the country with a huge amount of cash,which they can use part of to start up there own supermarket.With one of the robbers using his girlfriend to make a fake phone call to the police,to tell them that the robbers are holding lots of kids hostage,it appears that although it will be a bit tough getting out,the bank robbery should go successfully enough.Sadly,the robbers don't know is that since he has been held up in prison Hans has become a lot more merciless then they have ever been...View on the film:Looking at the cast,I feel that whilst most of them did very well at showing there increase in tension as the situation worsens,the clear stand out was Raimund Harnstorf as the lead homicidal-manic bank robber Heinz klett.Along with having a fantastic red beard-and-strong-chin combo that Chuck Norris would give two thumbs up to,Harnstorf (who sadly committed suicide in May 1999 at age 57)also is excellent at showing Heinz ego over shadowing the group,as he becomes the dominant force in the bank robbery,with his violent actions,being performed with a real relish by Raimund.Although the first half an hour of the film,is surprisingly a little slow paced,the very moment that the robbers enter the bank, writer/directer Rolf Olsen accelerates the film at a fantastic pace.Whilst the robbery is entertainingly ruthless,especially when the gang start to fear that Heinz is not going to let anything,or anyone get in the way of him and the cash,the unexpectedly most gripping moments in the film,are the scenes which has one of the robbers and a cop trying to stop a small boy from pulling a grenade,thanks to Olsen doing an excellent job at showing the robber losing his focus,as he starts to suspect that things might not be going according to plan.Final view on the film:A neat hostage thriller,with a terrific performance from Raimund Harnstorf.

Four criminals, including head cases Luigi (Gianni Macchia) and Heinz (Raimund Harmstorf), angelic but confused female accomplice Heidi (Christine Bohm), and her army deserter brother Christian (Amadeus August), seize a city bank and take staff and customers hostage in this violent German film. Luigi and Heinz seem to be complete nihilists, whilst Heidi and Christian just seem to be going along to get along. The plan starts to go awry almost from the start, leading to a bloody finale. Though not particularly good, Violent Offender is never boring, and features a pretty good score by the great Francesco de Masi. I'd like to see this film in its original language; though the English language dubbing isn't terrible, it isn't particularly good, either--hence my somewhat oxymoronic summary!

This is a film about a bank robbery, with little concern for other's well being. The lead is a self centered egotistic homicidal maniac. He surrounds himself with people he can control. He has no respect for women. Lots of violence, some shooting & deaths, really low budget. There is a rather interesting sex scene where the lead & a consenting hostage have different views about sex, I thought it had a realistic ring to it. I rented this under the title Violent Offender. I thought that it was enjoyable if you can get past the low budget.