"Banklady" is a German movie from 2013 that was directed by Christian Alvart, one of the most known popular filmmakers in Germany currently and written by Christoph Silber and Kai Hafemeister. I must say I was not familiar with the title character before watching this one, but now after some research I see that she was Germany's first female bank robber roughly 50 years ago. There were documentaries made about her on several occasions, but this feature film here is probably still the most known in terms of dramatic movie-making. The IMDb photo actually looks a touch comedic, but it's really mostly a crime movie, with some drama too. No idea why lead actress Nadeshda Brennicke is not credited first, but instead Ken Duken, who plays the detective looking for her. Duken is also the film's biggest weakness. The performance is over-the-top in a way that him trying to go bad-ass is sometimes actually painful to watch. Then again, I may be biased as I never saw a lot of range or potential in Duken.
Brennicke as the lead actress is so-so. I must say a more talented actress could have made much more with the character here I am sure, but she is also not bad. But awards-worthy? I don't know. Hübner is the only major cast member I would call myself a bit of a fan and he is okay for the most part, but also far far from some other very convincing performances from him in terms of the quality. Unfortunately, I must say that they did not make much of this story. And it is another disappointment by Alvart. This could have been a really intriguing edge-of-seat watch here, but there were not that many good scenes as there could have been, which is especially disappointing for a film that runs for almost 2 hours. Not only does it lack focus, but sometimes the film loses itself in wild car chases and spectacular shooting instead of delivering creative quality. The first half is better than the second half as this one has some real character elaboration and character development, but I guess they intended to make it showier by including style over substance on many occasions eventually, so more people would want to see it at a cinema. For me personally, this was a deal breaker and I think it was a missed opportunity. The topic and character offered so much more and they came very short overall. Not recommended.
Brennicke as the lead actress is so-so. I must say a more talented actress could have made much more with the character here I am sure, but she is also not bad. But awards-worthy? I don't know. Hübner is the only major cast member I would call myself a bit of a fan and he is okay for the most part, but also far far from some other very convincing performances from him in terms of the quality. Unfortunately, I must say that they did not make much of this story. And it is another disappointment by Alvart. This could have been a really intriguing edge-of-seat watch here, but there were not that many good scenes as there could have been, which is especially disappointing for a film that runs for almost 2 hours. Not only does it lack focus, but sometimes the film loses itself in wild car chases and spectacular shooting instead of delivering creative quality. The first half is better than the second half as this one has some real character elaboration and character development, but I guess they intended to make it showier by including style over substance on many occasions eventually, so more people would want to see it at a cinema. For me personally, this was a deal breaker and I think it was a missed opportunity. The topic and character offered so much more and they came very short overall. Not recommended.