DER RAUBER (THE ROBBER)
Austria/Germany, 2010, 96 minutes, Colour.
Andreas Lust, Franziska Weisz.
The Robber is a rather sombre film, focusing on an alleged true story about a bank robber who got a high from multiple bank robberies, spent time in prison, trained as a runner and won the Vienna marathon as well as the mountain marathon. Despite this, he could not give up running. He is played by Andreas Lust with a rather unsmiling performance. He is a loner, giving meaning to the phrase ‘the loneliness of the long-distance runner’. He does make one relationship with a young woman who, ultimately, for her conscience has to inform the police about him. As he dies, he makes a phone call to make some contact with her. It is minimal hope.
The film is dramatically paced, shows the city of Vienna as well as the surrounding countryside and mountains – but it is a very serious film without any touches of humour.
1.The title, plain? Based on a true story? First a robber, then everything else?
2.Johannes as an Austrian hero? As an Austrian criminal? The Viennese settings? The jails, homes and offices, the banks? The country towns, the streets, motorways, forests? Sense of realism? The score and the drums for the running and the credits?
3.The opening, Bettenberg and his running, the treadmill in his cell? No explanations, no background, an enigma? His loneliness? Alone, making some human connections, the final phone call to Erika?
4.The interview with the parole officer, the parole officer’s visits, congratulating him on his wins, earnest, at the final marathon, his suddenly being killed?
5.The sense of freedom, the apartment, the treatment by the landlord, tough? Job-seeking, seeing Erika? The visit, the memories of the past, her family, her inviting him to move in? Together, emotionally, the relationship? Using her car? Her discovering the truth, the money, her ousting him? The contact, the sexual relationship? Erika and her final decision, the police reassuring her that she had done the right thing, the final phone call and his asking her to not hang up until he died?
6.The staging of the robberies, the car, his clothes, the mask, the gun, moving quickly, the many bank robberies? Running from one bank to another? The fat teller and her awkwardness? The chase, his agility, running, the escapes?
7.His training, the doctor checking his health, medical help, winning the marathon, the media responding to him?
8.The mountain marathon, his winning? Motivation? The adrenalin, the high? In comparison with the robberies and the escapes?
9.The parole officer following him, talking, his inner silence, anger, killing the parole officer with his trophy?
10.His being caught, interviewed, escaping out the window, hiding on the top of the building, stealing the cars, in the forest, chased up the mountains, finding the hole? The old man and his groceries, the old man cutting him? The vehicle, the helicopter following, the couple and his taking their car and changing clothes? Driving, finding difficulty, pulling up, phoning Erika, his death?
11.A character with no redeeming features? One human link? The quality and lack of quality of his life?
