23

1998 1h 39m DE

👍

6.8

SOLID

⭐

7.2

IMDB

★6.8TMDB · 231★7.2IMDB · 7,776

DramaThriller

Synopsis

Spoiler shield

The movie's plot is based on the true story of a group of young computer hackers from Hannover, Germany. In the late 1980s the orphaned Karl Koch invests his heritage in a flat and a home computer. At first he dials up to bulletin boards to discuss conspiracy theories inspired by his favorite novel, R.A. Wilson's "Illuminatus", but soon he and his friend David start breaking into government and military computers. Pepe, one of Karl's rather criminal acquaintances senses that there is money in computer cracking - he travels to east Berlin and tries to contact the KGB.

“Some stories are better left unspoiled.”

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Cast

August Diehl
Karl Koch
Fabian Busch
David
Dieter Landuris
Pepe
Jan-Gregor Kremp
Lupo
Burghart Klaußner
Weber
Stephan Kampwirth
Jochen Maiwald
Zbigniew Zamachowski
Sergej
Peter Fitz
Brückner

Credits

Behind the camera

Director: Hans-Christian Schmid
Writers: Hans-Christian Schmid, Sikander Goldau, Michael Gutmann
Languages: Russian, German, English
Countries: Germany

Want more? Switch to Cinephile mode in the header for DP, composer, budget, box office, production companies, keywords, and release history.

Did you know?

Fun facts 🍿

1 / 7

ERA

Did you know

28 years old — old enough to be someone's favourite childhood film.

MoodPlayr · trivia#01

2 / 7

WORLD

Did you know

Dialogue crosses 3 languages: Russian, German, English.

MoodPlayr · trivia#02

3 / 7

DIRECTOR

Did you know

Directed by Hans-Christian Schmid, shot by Klaus Eichhammer. Note their partnership — DPs and directors often return to each other across a career.

MoodPlayr · trivia#03

4 / 7

DIRECTOR

Did you know

Original score by Enjott Schneider. Worth a dedicated listen after — most great films lose half their impact without the score.

MoodPlayr · trivia#04

5 / 7

DIRECTOR

Did you know

Editor Hansjörg Weißbrich shaped the rhythm. On an edit-heavy film, the editor does more to control your pulse than the director.

MoodPlayr · trivia#05

6 / 7

CAST

Did you know

August Diehl and Fabian Busch and Dieter Landuris carry the top of the cast.

MoodPlayr · trivia#06

7 / 7

WILD

Did you know

IMDB entry: tt0126765 — still the authoritative cross-reference for credits and trivia.

MoodPlayr · trivia#07

Cinephile deep dive

The take

Hans-Christian Schmid directs. Klaus Eichhammer behind the camera. Enjott Schneider scores. Hansjörg Weißbrich cuts. Runs lean at under 100 minutes. Produced in Germany. Dialogue in Russian, German, English.

Trivia

Things worth knowing

128 years old — old enough to be someone's favourite childhood film.
2Dialogue crosses 3 languages: Russian, German, English.
3Directed by Hans-Christian Schmid, shot by Klaus Eichhammer. Note their partnership — DPs and directors often return to each other across a career.
4Original score by Enjott Schneider. Worth a dedicated listen after — most great films lose half their impact without the score.
5Editor Hansjörg Weißbrich shaped the rhythm. On an edit-heavy film, the editor does more to control your pulse than the director.
6August Diehl and Fabian Busch and Dieter Landuris carry the top of the cast.
7IMDB entry: tt0126765 — still the authoritative cross-reference for credits and trivia.
8Classified under 20 themes, including "computer", "hacker", "court case", "german democratic republic".