With Heart and Handcuffs - The Complete 1 + 2 Season - DVD

Film: Detective Inspector Leo Kraft (Henning Baum) is a guy as he stands in the book: attractive, not on the mouth and charming. Actually a real dream man - only unfortunately already taken. With his better half Thorsten (Martin Rapold), the gay policeman leads a harmonious relationship in a tranquil home. Leo's partner Nina Metz (Elena Uhlig) can only dream of that. She simply has no luck with men and the notorious morning grouch can only dream of an orderly life. This unequal investigator duo complements each other perfectly and is in the fight against crime in Munich. Whether they have to take on an entire hockey team or hunt for clues on the set of a TV series, when Leo and Nina investigate Mit Herz und Handschellen, the bad guys don't stay at large for long.

At first glance, Mit Herz und Handschellen may seem like a fairly conventional crime series from Germany. Many elements of the production speak for that. But what makes the show, which was cancelled after three seasons, stand out from the crowd is the wonderful investigator duo, which turns the usual conventions of the genre a little on their head. The handsome policeman is not the great womanizer, but a gay family man with an almost stuffy lifestyle. His partner, on the other hand, is not only after criminals, but also after every potential lover - and sometimes puts her foot in her mouth. Henning Baum and Elena Uhlig harmonize perfectly with each other, which is noticeable in many scenes, but especially in the episodes of season 2, in which Nina becomes Leo's roommate, in a very entertaining way for the viewer.

The two are supported by a few nice side characters, such as the homophobic colleague who secretly admires Leo very much, or the cold-blooded forensic pathologist who likes to answer questions from her colleagues in a very biting way. In addition, there are numerous prominent guest stars who are allowed to show their best side in sometimes more, sometimes less conventional crime stories. Good scripts, which put especially the main characters some very amusing dialogues in the mouth, make the series also a more than entertaining pleasure.

The pilot as well as the 18 episodes of the first two series seasons (it followed three episodes of a very short third season) are in this box distributed on four DVDs to see. Thus, the viewer is offered almost 15 hours of the best TV entertainment. In the end, a somewhat wistful feeling remains, but also a certain gratitude for the early cancellation - otherwise Henning Baum, who was awarded the German Television Prize for the role of Leo, would certainly not have become The Last Cop. And that would really be too bad - as amusing and entertaining as Mit Herz und Handschellen is.

Picture + Sound: The technical realization of the series is overall on a good TV level. The picture is clean on the whole, the sharpness level is on a good level and the colors are mixed coherently. A few weaknesses in contrast and resulting deficiencies in the presentation of some small details are apparent, but only stand out in a limited negative way. Stereo audio largely plays out in the front, with dialogue and music well-matched. Good!

Extras: Unfortunately, there is none bonus material.

Conclusion: With Heart and Handcuffs is an entertaining crime series that stands out from the crowd of similar German series due to the charismatic actor duo and the good scripts. The DVD box offers the viewer all episodes of the first two seasons of the series on 4 discs, the technical implementation is fine, only on bonus material fans have to do without. Nevertheless, there is a bottom line: absolutely recommendable!

An article by Frankfurt-Tipp