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Twelve years after his escape, professional criminal Trojan Horse returns to Berlin. A valuable painting is stolen in the city. But the carefully planned robbery soon gets out of control… Follows Im Schatten (2010). During the 2009 World Athletics Championships in Berlin, viewers could see how professional criminal Trojan Horse (Misel MATIĆEVIĆ) from IM SCHATTEN (2010) had to leave the capital for an indefinite period. Trojan Horse still operates in a rather similar way: old-fashioned crimes, such as stealing tangible objects such as watches, money and pictures. No ties to the mafia or clan structure, a lone fighter, only occasionally and by necessity in a team! If the coup in the Ruhr region does not go as planned, Trojan Horse must return to Berlin to use his old contacts (Marie-Lou SELLEM). And indeed: together with three friends (Tim SEYFI, Marie LEUENBERGER, Bilge BINGÜL) Trojan manages to steal a valuable painting by Caspar David FRIEDRICH. But then the trouble really begins with the mysterious client Viktor (Alexander Föhling)… 2010 BERLIN IN Braunschweig-born director Thomas ARSLAN IM SCHATTEN became a hit as a long-awaited genre bomb. The exciting genre film shot in Germany is told using the cinematic means of the Berlin School. Extremely exciting, with rare dialogues and explosively violent moments! ARSLAN seemingly imperceptibly follows it with VERBRANNTE ERDE. Gangster films are still a rarity in German cinema. With cold precision, the images of cinematographer Reinhold VORSCHENDER (also IM SCHATTEN) speak of people living in the shadows of the German version. Dark places, in the shadow of nearby landmarks, yet far from the perception of the police and ordinary citizens. Berlin appears as a teammate and adversary of the film’s protagonist. This tense atmosphere is greatly enhanced by the unobtrusive music of Norwegian composer Ola FLOTTUM (THE WORST MAN, 2021). It shows the capital that you know and don’t know. Many viewers will be able to recognize this urban sprawl from their environment with all its roads. Spooky places very close to us: scorched earth in the shadow! Misel MATIĆEVIĆ (PRED LICEM ZLOČINA / BABYLON BERLIN) is again very convincing in the role of Troy, whom we will probably see again (Thomas ARSLAN is planning a kind of Troy trilogy). GERMAN FILM AWARD nominee Marie Lou SELLEM (nominated for KNOCHEN UND NAMEN / BONES AND NAMES 2024) is like an icy mediator. But GERMAN FILM AWARD winner Alexander Föhling (2019 winner for DAS ENDE DER WAHRHEIT / THE END OF THE RRUTH) is frighteningly good and really doesn’t have to hide from classic villains like Klaus KINSKI and Michael FASSBENDER. Thomas ARSLAN doesn’t want to spend as much time on the third film in his Troy trilogy as he did from 2010 to 2024. It’s still exciting!