neumu [ cinematronic ]




	Tattoo
	Robert Schwentke August Diehl, Christian Redl, Nadeshda Brennicke 2002		A post-punk German crime drama shot in the seething, fetid style of David Fincher's "Seven," "Tattoo" is a murder mystery that has enough jarring, viscous, skin-peeling moments to ruin anyone's dinner. So if you get a kick from this sort of petit guignol and decide to scope it out, don't eat beforehand. Bleak trendiness is rampant — in a good way. Writer/director Robert Schwentke's script, pithy and violent, connects underground rave culture to the black-market art dealings of body-art fanciers. Seeking to unravel a series of grisly killings and learn the whereabouts of his runaway daughter, dour veteran detective Minks (Christian Redl) recruits rookie cop/raver Marc (August Diehl) to scour the rock clubs, hip bars and all-night warehouse parties for answers. Marc was hoping for a desk job when he graduated from the police academy; instead, Minks thrusts the younger man into a world of danger and depravity where desperate people sell their tattooed, flayed skin for big bucks. On the up side, the investigation introduces Marc to beauteous, icy-cool art dealer Maya (Nadeshda Brennicke) who heats Marc's ardor, but may know more than she lets on.