The greatest movie ever made..!

not horrible nor great

It's fun, it's light, [but] it has a hard time when its tries to get heavy.

The performances transcend the film's tropes, grounding it in characters that feel more complete than this subgenre often produces.

"Der Eisbär" is a German 85-minute movie from 1998, so this one is already almost 20 years old. The writer and director is Granz Henman and his co-director is Til Schweiger. For both, it is the first effort in their respective positions here, but Schweiger was of course also an established actor at this point already and it should be no surprise to anybody that he landed the lead role. For Henman it is still a contender for his most known work almost two decades later. But now let us take a look at this one here. At times, it reminded me of an inferior version of "Reservoir Dogs" and I would not be surprised if it inspired that project. As for this one here, Schweiger is fairly decent and works nicely for the main character. But there are weaknesses too. For such a relatively short film, it has too many entirely forgettable scenes or scenes that even did not fit in well when it comes to realism, authenticity or just convincing character development. The script could have been better on many occasions and it fits somehow looking at Henman's other famous films.But there are also good moments. Many actors in here are familiar faces in this film (I won't list the names, just check the cast list) and these add something through their talent or charisma. I personally liked seeing Leonard Lansink (Wilsberg) as a pretty silent barkeeper here and the scene at the bar was indeed really fun, maybe when this film was at its best. As for the ending, however, I was not convinced. Not only could it have been better, but it also felt as if the filmmakers sacrificed realism and quality here to make it look as showy and spectacular as possibly. It may only be subjective perception and opinion, but I don't like this approach at all I must say and there were enough decent moments that made me think that the film deserves a better ending for sure. And you actually even learn something in here about female sexuality and male anatomy, maybe the most crucial moment of the film. Anyway, this film is proof that Schweiger also can give somewhat decent performances if he wants to and it is certainly one of his better career performances, maybe also because it is better than most of the stuff he has appeared in recently. The story here is so different and it is pretty bold at times. If you go bold, you go wrong sometimes too, but I can accept that. Just don't expect a truly epic outcome and you may have a time watching this one at least as good as I did. 6 of 10 may be a bit on the generous side, but I recommend watching it.

The film is a real light one - but I found it very funny. You get to see a bunch of well - known German actors that tell a story that is foreseeable, but the good thing of the film isn't the story, it's how it's told. The quality of the actors that take part in this movie was only possible because they are friends in real life and didn't see the movie as a commercial product in the first place. They did it for fun, and so get to see an uncomplicated movie played by actors you usually wouldn't see in such a movie - and in such a concentration.Gangsters that threaten gangsters, policeman chase all the gangsters, some want money, some want vengeance, some just want to have fun.The acting is very convincing, and the behavior of the characters is sometimes funny, sometimes tragic. Furthermore, the type of the characters is very different and sometimes quite extreme.I like the movie very much. It may not be perfect, but after all I always like to watch the film when it's shown in TV every few years.

Quentin Tarantino is a talented director who occasionally acts, although it's clearly not his forte. Till Schweiger on the other hand is a, well, decent and very popular German actor who, for this movie, pretended to also be a director. Unfortunately, the whole shtick didn't work out as well as hoped, and "Der Eisbär" turns out to be a glossy but ultimately pointless, and occasionally annoying, flick. It comes laden with Schweiger's actor buddies and is well filmed and "easy on the eye" (nice camerawork, good locations, coherent costumes, etc.), but the story is paper thin and has been done a hundred times before, and better. What really turned me off was the fact that Schweiger seems to think that simply having him on the screen for extended periods would make great cinema, and that copying Tarantino's style with a large brush would make him a great director, as if Tarantino's work was unseen of in this country. The movie is practically Schweiger's cinematic ego trip, and I did not find it was worth watching.

"Der Eisbar" is by far the greatest surprise in german postwar film production. Directed by the emerging Mr. Till Schweiger, who usually plays the protagonist in many european movies (like the upcoming Star Trek, Star Wars bashing satire from Bulli Herbig after Manitou´s Shoe) Imagine Brad Pitt doing a great road track movie... This work feels like "PULP FICTION" on steroids- Cramped with german TV and movie stars this movie blows a heavy punch. It has everything from satire, jokes below the belt -absolutely political incorrect, fast cut scenes, a furious and hilarious plot (the killing of the "Minister of Health" -the mafia mob boss). Anybody outside Germany will have dramatic problems understanding those jokes due to the appearance of well known german faces (like the american diner boss -the star comedian Tom Gerhardt and the country song idol Peter Maffay). Even if you are not acquainted with the star parade, the story is wonderfully told. The whole thing resembles a half breed- Altmans "Short Cuts" and Quentins "Pulp Fiction" We wish there would be a chance for a second or a third Eisbär Movie...