The Death List - DVD

Content: Christopher Cowin (Anthony Flanagan) has had enough! Enough of the injustice by which corrupt politicians and powerful business bosses get away with even the dirtiest of schemes. When it comes to the rich and powerful, Justice does indeed seem to be blind. Cowin wants to change that. He develops a website on which users can pillory corruption and illegal dealings of the upper ten thousand. The list quickly becomes a worldwide success and Cowin a hero to the little guy. But then events take a deadly turn when the people ranked #1 on the list are brutally murdered. Cowin himself is targeted by investigators, but still refuses to take down the site. And suddenly his name is also at the top of the list...

With The Death List, German director and screenwriter Klaus Hüttmann delivers his first international production. The themes of virtual pillorying, total surveillance and vigilante justice are explosive and topical, which also makes the film really exciting and involving, especially in the first few minutes. Even if the production itself is very conventional, the initial situation is quite captivating. The acting of the actors is solid, with Anthony Flanagan doing a really good job as the justice idealist. It is made well comprehensible what makes Christopher to start the list and what he wants to achieve with it.

Also the first twist is very well done. The fact that there is someone who is convinced of Christopher's ideals, but believes that the list only has a real effect if it also has consequences, makes things quite a bit more exciting. But unfortunately, not only does Christopher let the whole situation get out of hand, so does Hüttmann let the story get out of hand. The good intentions that dominated the beginning are still present in the second half of the film, but are repeatedly swallowed up by holes in logic or overrun by tiresome clichés. In the genre of conspiracy thrillers, there have been numerous representatives who have resolved their story much more exciting and consistent.

Dennoch: The Death List is, despite its weaknesses, a really solid thriller that offers decent entertainment over long stretches and in some moments even thought-provoking. Even though the subject matter deserved an even better, more polished script, the bottom line is still enough for a: worth seeing!

Picture + Sound: Technically, this home theater premiere is decently realized. While the picture can convince with a decent overall sharpness and a coherent color scheme, only in darker scenes by slightly exaggerated contrasts and minor blurring slight weaknesses become apparent. The audio is available in both a DTS mix and Dolby Digital 5.1. On both audio tracks, the dialogue sounds very centrally mixed, but well-placed ambient noise, minor sound effects, and music also add some movement to the surround channels every now and then. Good.

Extras: As a bonus, there is only the trailer for the film and other program tips from the provider.

Conclusion:With his first international production The Death List, German filmmaker and screenwriter Klaus Hüttmann delivers a very topical and, at its core, explosive thriller. After a very successful opening, the suspense curve skyrockets to pleasant heights, but unfortunately cannot be held there until the end. But even if the film loses itself in the second half in some logic holes, clichés and trivialities, Hüttmann has succeeded overall a solid and extremely interesting thriller, for which there is a satisfied bottom line Recommendable!

An article by Frankfurt-Tipp