Kottan ermittelt: Rien ne va plus (2010) Reviews

• 10/10 (NB, I'm a fan)

  Karl Self2011-06-13

  "Kottan ermittelt" was a seminal crime-comedy TV series in the 1970ies and -80ies, that started out as a "regular" TV detective show which slowly matured into dadaistic slapstick, the likes of which had never been seen before on public television (the only type there was at the time and in that place), in an age where there were at most five programmes, which were switched off after midnight and on again the next day at around 5 p. m. Director Peter Patzak pushed the envelope wide as far as he could. To us counter-culturalists in our hand-knit woolly sweaters, he brought pure punk, pure anarchy to the telly. All of a sudden we weren't so sure that the revolution wouldn't be televised after all. This is the standard that you have to measure the latest "Kottan investigates" venture by. And amazingly, after a whopping 27 years, major Adolf Kottan is still as fresh and infectious as a Sex Pistols riff. Based on a surprisingly coherent plot (which nobody cares for), Patzak, seconded by a fist-class staff of actors, fires off a volley of running gags, absurd imagery (don't ask me how to interpret this pug dog, colour-keyed over aerial pictures of Vienna and accompanied by helicopter sounds), Viennese slang bickering ("Wiener Schmäh"), rock 'n' roll music, sordid crimes and general cultural degeneration. And why? Because he can -- and because I love it.