- A thrilling crime narrative akin to a Wagner opera: overflowing with emotion, tragic, and packed with poignancy until the very end.
3.75 out of 5 starsPowerful fall, compelling performances: Don't miss this "Tatort"!
What's it about?
Bayreuth attorney Thomas Peters (Thorsten Merten) is in a courtroom with a client. Suddenly, he stands up, draws a gun, and fatally shoots judge Volker Küßges with a precise headshot. He looks at the clock: it's exactly 2:00 PM. Exactly an hour later, he strikes again. His target is biochemist Dr. Katrin Tscherna. When detectives Paula Ringelhahn (Dagmar Manzel) and Daniel Voss arrive in Bayreuth, they quickly see the pattern: someone dies every hour, and all of them were connected to a food scandal. The next target is dairy owner Rolf Koch (Jürgen Tarrach), who is currently enjoying a Wagner opera at the festival hall.
Why is this "Tatort" worth watching?
The film keeps the tension high from start to finish, while being emotional, dramatic, and tragic. Director Sebastian Marka and screenwriter Erol Yesilkaya skillfully incorporate Wagner's music from "Walküre" to enhance the suspense. When you think the story has reached its climax around the film's midpoint, the mystery takes a surprising turn, including an unexpected twist at the end. The film is gripping, tackles a current issue - fraud and cover-up in the food industry - and was a personal concern for Yesilkaya. After his heavily pregnant wife nearly died from food poisoning, he wanted to expose this problem.
What's bothersome?
It takes some time for the viewer to follow which timeline some scenes are in. There are numerous flashbacks and perspective shifts that need to be sorted out first. However, these challenges do not lessen the overall impact.
The detectives?
Ringelhahn and Voss still have conflicts over their roles as a team. "Can I rely on you?" the detective asks her partner several times. They argue over minor things, like whether to add UHT milk to coffee, and the exact course of the investigation. While Ringelhahn advocates for the underdog, Voss reminds her: "Even big jerks have rights."
To switch on or off?
"A Day Like Any Other," the title of this "Tatort", is a powerful thriller from Bayreuth that you shouldn't miss!
The investigation into the series of crimes reveals a strong connection to a food scandal, with each victim having been involved in some way. The tension reaches its peak when the detectives realize that their next target is Rolf Koch, a dairy owner.
Despite the complexity of the mystery, the unexpected turns and twists keep viewers engaged and intrigued, making "A Day Like Any Other" a compelling watch that sheds light on the issue of fraud in the food industry.
