Dealer - DVD

Content: Actually, young dealer Dan (Dan Bronchinson) had hoped to find the right path through the birth of his daughter. But instead came juvie, separation from the child's mother and an estrangement from his daughter. But now Dan wants out for good. He wants to go to Australia to open a patisserie. But he needs money. Lots of money! So he gets a tempting offer: if he can get hold of a kilo of coke within a few hours, he will get enough money to start a new life with his daughter in Australia. Dan actually manages to get the dope. But then a hell of a trip begins: he has to hide the coke from the police, only to discover a short time later that it has been stolen from him. Now 70,000 <x>ampersand</x>euros; have simply disappeared. Now Dan has no money, no coke, and everyone against him for it. And he has little time to get himself out of this mess.

Dealer is the feature debut of Jean Luc Herbulot, strongly reminiscent of the films of Gaspar No&eacute; or even Nicolas Winding Refn. However, Herbulot's thriller can't reach their class yet. The whole thing is still a bit too overloaded for that. But the mix of hectic handheld camerawork, quick cuts, and a play on color, lighting effects, and other visuals, accompanied by Dan's cynical voice-over commentary, reveals an interesting blend of craftsmanship and experimentation that - once properly matured - could yield some exciting films to come.

Dan's wild race against time may not yet be perfect, but it certainly offers plenty of strong and haunting moments. Herbulot has directed a brutal and relentless gangster film, but one that also has a touch of sarcasm and deep black humor. This makes the hellish trip Dan goes through in his desperate search for the stolen coke a bit exhausting at times, but also very entertaining despite a certain unwieldiness. One sequence alone, in which he rushes to collect outstanding debts, is genuinely amusing: accompanied by a superimposed counter showing how far Dan is from the amount needed to lose not only his dream, but his life.

Dealer is certainly not a film for a mass audience. The production is simply too experimental, too raw and too brutal for that. But if you are looking for gangster movies off the mainstream and are also willing to take on some more strenuous fare, you should definitely give this one a look. Worth seeing!

Picture + Sound: Since only a stream was available for the test, no information can be given about the final picture and sound quality at this point.

Extras: Also the bonus material could not be evaluated. Announced are interviews with the director and the lead actor, the trailer and a short film.

Conclusion: Dealer is tough, relentless and extremely exhausting. The film is a trip you have to be able to get into, lest you end up distraught and turning off the TV with a headache. But if you like movies like Pusher or Enter the Void, you can definitely risk a look here - even if Jean Luc Herbulot is not (yet) in a league with Nicolas Winding Refn or Gaspar No&eacute;. Therefore, there is for this disc - with reservations - quite a: recommendable!

An article by Frankfurt-Tipp