Normal the Düsseldorf Ripper

I’m sure many people won’t agree with me, but immediately after leaving the cinema I’m happy that Normal the Düsseldorf Ripper didn’t fulfil what the trailer had promised. Yes, the visuals are of course excellent, but the expected plot of a classic thriller didn’t turn out to be true. Nowadays there are thrillers everywhere, but a lyrical psychological drama like this is a very unusual thing, not only here in Czechia, so why complain when it works really well? The actors are great without exception, the dialogues serve more as an expression of extreme moods than to move the plot forward, which is very fitting for the style of the film. (28/03/2009)

At first, I appreciated how even a Czech filmmaker can get behind the camera so that he doesn't shoot the same characters at a static angle at face level. These are the people that keep on worrying about small Czech problems over and over again, but once your eyes have seen enough - especially when Ševčík alternates "cool" shots with the cheapest ones - you start to think he is, in fact, showing us nothing. If Milan Kňažko is not in the frame, the monster is only talked about, and that is simply not enough. An unhappy childhood is just words in a void and a legal dilemma is just a sweaty forehead and a shirt without a tie. Not to mention love and other deeper things. When Ševčík finds a screenwriter who can thicken the plot, his solid images will get a solid idea and an original Czech filmmaker. This film left my mind on the way home. 2 ½. (26/03/2009)

My impressions are somewhat contradictory: on the one hand, the wonderful idea of expanding the expressionist image of a monster, which reflects the essential dilemmas of the Weimar Republic, a bizarre intermediate stage between the creature and the savior. However, Ševčík offers only very schematic answers to all the burning questions in a selected visual, great composition, in the play of light and darkness. He reduces the characters to the level of symbols of "good", "evil", "innocence", and does not offer complex psychological portraits. In the end, however, the viewer is not much wiser than at the beginning. Yes, a well-versed fan of German expressionism will be delighted, and it also warms the soul that a Czech film is finally coming to movie theatres that does not go with the flow and evokes controversial impressions. Personally, I would like to watch Normal: The Düsseldorf Rippe in detail once more time to see if my constructions have support in what was filmed. Part of me feels that Ševčík made a lot of promises, served a full tray of treats for "literate" viewers, but under the selected audio-visual, this is far from a film that can satisfactorily answer its own questions. However, I emphasize: we have not had such a stimulating Czech film for years. Hosanna. (28/03/2009)

In a certain sense, Ševčík's Normal reminds me of the works of director F.A. Brabec - at the very least in terms of how the form strongly outweighs the banal content and how the director revels in depicting the most clichéd of clichés. Normal is pretentious, impressively filmed, meticulously scored, and adequately performed pseudo-artistic boredom. The dialogues are full of clichés, and the screenplay is uninspired and lacks tension. I experience more excitement watching a children's bedtime story... Overall impression: 40%. (02/04/2009)

Considering the positives that Ševčík's Restart boasted, it is only natural that Normal is also built primarily on its formal aspects. The script is not dazzling, and the ambition to tell a realistic period crime story has given way to a neo-noir stylization. Of course, it's great that Peter Kürten's story inspired this group of filmmakers. Ševčík and Riestra profess a video clip aesthetic, Muchow doesn't tackle jazz, and the makeup artists don't bother to do their makeup and hair in a way that makes the whole thing look like Weimar. It is better to give up on a good period piece when it doesn't suit you and make it entirely your own than to trap a similar piece in a static theatrical recording or a TV production and condemn it to a small number of reruns. (30/08/2016)

You wouldn't even believe that something like this was created in the Czech Republic if it weren't for the familiar faces. Thumbs up for Milan Kňažko, Pavel Gajdoš, Miroslav Táborský (great) and finally for Dagmar (this is what a return to the screen should feel like). There is no point in discussing the stunning visuals, but I was surprised by Muchow's music, which was quite good and stylish compared to his other stuff. The entirety of Normal the Düsseldorf Ripper kind of reminds me of The Silence of the Lambs (it’s far from as good, I know, but still...), the murder scenes (especially of the little girl) give me chills... It's a pity that it was all so nicely filmed that it looked a bit artificial - unreal, if you will. However, I still give it four honest stars. It's above average by Czech standards, but compared to what's being made elsewhere, Normal is basically an ordinary story in a beautiful package. (05/08/2010)

Ça démarre sur les chapeaux de roues, mais l’intrigue se désintègre ensuite dans ce qui ressemble à une obsession de la part du scénariste pour les coins sombres et les impasses dont on ne peut s’échapper. Milan Kňažko et Pavel Gajdoš m’ont impressionné par leurs prestations. L’histoire elle-même ne peut pas être évaluée étant donné qu’il s’agit de faits réels. La photographie et l’accompagnement musical méritent des éloges, l’impression générale restant néanmoins mitigée. (31/12/2010)

A Czech/German variation on Hannibal wrapped in pleasing visuals not unlike the styles of Tim Burton or Alex Proyas. From a formal point of view, a film of European, and if you don’t look too closely, perhaps even global proportions. It’s also a very respectable production in terms of the acting, with Milan Kňažko perfectly cast in his role. Typical shortcomings of contemporary Czech films tend to be underdeveloped characters, insufficient (or insufficiently convincing) motivations of the main characters, or an overly blatant attempt to generalize an event, a group of people, or a certain character into one big and encompassing message. Normal the Düsseldorf Ripper dissects the individual characters quite adequately given its running time, so by the end you certainly don't feel like you haven’t learned enough about the central trio. I couldn't decide for a long time whether the length itself was an advantage or a disadvantage. In the end, I guess I'd sum it up by saying that this is a bold co-production project that in many ways easily outclasses other domestic productions. On the other hand, there still seems to be a lack of "that something" that would take Normal up a notch and place it (from an international point of view) among widely watched and appreciated productions. (15/07/2012)