Just what I expected

Simple and well acted, it has tension enough to knot the stomach.

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."

It really made me laugh, but for some moments I was tearing up because I could relate so much.

"Knallhart" or "Tough Enough" is a German 90-minute (without credits) movie from 10 years ago. Director is Detlev buck, one of Germany's most known filmmakers these days. Lead actor is played by David Kross, before his international breakthrough in the Oscar-winning "The Reader". In this German movie here, he plays a teenager who is forced to move from the richer district of Berlin to the poorer when his mother breaks up with her sugar daddy. At his new school, he quickly gets into trouble with the local "mob" and his classmates force him to pay money on a regular basis. He also makes friends, but still it is a slow descent into crime as he is forced to steal the money. Not much later, he gets into contact with real criminals and he starts delivering drugs for them. As a reward, he does not only get paid properly, but they also help him against his bullies. But the longer the film goes, the more it becomes obvious that they are not his true friends.All in all, this was a pretty decent movie and the final scene with Michael, Erol and the others was truly gripping. Everything before that is fine too and this is certainly one of my favorite Detlev Buck films. Even Jenny Elvers is bearable in here and only has 1 or 2 not-so-good moments. Kross I am not the greatest fan usually, but he is okay too and physically works fine as well for the role with his innocent face. My favorites here are the supporting actors though, who all play their parts realistically. If you get in touch with the wrong people in Berlin-Neukölln, stuff like that can actually happen. Kida Khodr Ramadan gives a good performance as always, but everybody else is convincing too. Very gritty dive into the world of Berlin's organized crime that may be closer to us than we think and hope it isn't. Go check it out. The film also managed a great deal of awards attention and was picked as second-best of the year at the German Film Awards only beaten by "Das Leben der Anderen", which went on to win Germany an Academy Award.

Is Germany trying to have its own crime epic, its own "Goodfellas"? Well, not quite, though it looks that way from a distance. "Knallhart" is actually just a coming-of-age tale about a 15-year-old boy (the very convincing David Kross) who just happens to meet a whole bunch of criminals along the way. The script isn't really too exceptional, but the stale, naturalistic look of the movie still makes it worthwhile. I really liked how the frames just screamed desperation on behalf of every single character. One thing that struck me as odd though is that the movie's running time is so short, the character of Michael Polischka just didn't seem like he was done yet. Because of that the ending feels very abrupt, it made me feel somewhat unfulfilled. The first hour is downright excellent though, beautiful realistic cinema.

I expected another Gegen die Wand and I got...well, this! It's the kind of story we've seen countless times before, and in many cases better executed. This movie just doesn't add up to other movies about troubled kids going on the wrong path in life. Recent pearls like La Haine or Cidade de Deus are so much better.The problem I had with this story is that we can predict from the very beginning where it is going to lead us. From the moment we see the good looking, almost angelic kid walking into a police station with blood on his shoes, we know that he'll turn the wrong way by meeting the wrong people. And that's exactly what happens. It doesn't lead us - the viewer - on any new grounds regarding the subject of youth delinquency. The small subplot concerning the mother is strong, but I really felt that they could've heighten it to a higher level. In the end it does deliver as a heart wrenching thriller rather than the society comment it wants to be. The Germans know how to make good cinema, this doesn't belong in there.

I caught Knallhart at the 2006 Chicago International Film Festival, where it drew massive applause as the credits rolled.Intense, realistic coming-of-age story set in the poor, predominantly Turkish suburb Neukoeln in Berlin. David Kross is spot-on as precocious, soft-spoken, world-weary 15 year old Michael, struggling to survive in the new world he's been thrust into after his mother's wealthy boyfriend shoves them out on the street. He seems unfazed through his constant violent run-ins with a local gang, as well as increasingly dodgy messenger assignments he gets through a friendship with the local drug lord, holding his stoic gaze until the escalating events eventually break him, and yet show his true strength and character. The movie is extremely gripping, gritty, and real; the camera is intimate with its characters, letting the audience marinate in the heaviness of a situation. The Soundtrack is notably powerful, weighty, and fitting, as is often with quality German films (Head On, Run Lola Run, Princess and the Warrior). Definitely recommended.