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Knockin' on Heaven's Door (1997) More at IMDb Pro »

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29 comments in total

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19 out of 23 people found the following comment useful :-
GREAT FILM, but you've got to either learn German, or wait for the dubbed version., 6 December 1999
Author: atroyz

First of all, WHY HAS THIS FILM NOT BEEN RELEASED IN ENGLISH SPEAKING COUNTRIES??!! Is it because Hollywood is afraid of German films that are actually as good as theirs? Is it because this is a foreign film that isn't "foreign" enough (e.g. Bergmanesque symbolism or Wender's "poetic imagery") or is it because neither America nor Britain have the nerve to properly dub this film into English? In any case, the world is missing out. This is a highly entertaining film with a simple plot, lots of humor, plenty of action, and two terrific leads. The plot, regardless of how many people will compare it to "pulp fiction" (a comparrison, by the way, which I simply cannot understand,)is a straight-forward buddy flick about two terminally ill men in their early thirties. Like all buddy movies, (Lethal Weapan, 48 hours, Nothing to lose) the characters couldn't be more different at the beginning, and find a way to get along by the films end. Nothing new here, except for the fact that both men know they will be dead by the film's end, thus eliminating (thank goodness) any chance of a sequel. Anyway, our heroes meet in the hospital, and quickly decide that they want to really "live" their final days on earth, and see the ocean before they pass away. They steal a car which happens to belong to a dutch gangster (brief cameo by rutger hauer). Thus begins the chase across Germany and Holland, a chase which combines road-movie laughs a-la Dumb and Dumber (there is a VERY similiar scene where the two men find the suitcase filled with money, and check into a rediculously fancy hotel) with genuine character development and bonding, a-la Thelma and Louise.

The real star of the film is not the plot, but the little moments of genuine humor and tenderness between the leads. Director Thomas Jahn's balance between over-the-top action-comedy and emotional "cancer drama" is amazingly played out by the two actors (til schweiger and jan josef liefers)

I would recommend this film to ANYBODY who likes to be entertained. The music is great, the jokes (most of them, at least) fly, and the relationships are genuine. The only problem is probably that at this point, you have to speak German fluently to understand most of what's going on. BUT BE PATIENT! Someday Hollywood will discover this film and at least SUBTITLE it like they did the equally terrific(er) "lola rennt". My only hope is that they don't simply ruin the film by remaking it with american stars. That would be a great letdown, because this film is already perfect. I doubt that most people would even think it's foreign, if they simply forget the subtitles and get into it.

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11 out of 13 people found the following comment useful :-
an awesome one, 12 June 2005

Author: andlommy from Latvia

After watching the movie for 11th time i decided to share what i think of it.

It is simply great. By great i mean the idea that is (supposedly) very deep inside. Perhaps it's about the ultimate goal, that everyone has and hasn't got time to fulfill it, and when the moment comes that makes one understand 'now is the right time'. Sometimes it's too late, sometimes one never understands it is time to change something, but for those two, life was a success. Quoting matrix (kill me), it's the "free your mind" style, when all problems go away and you can do whatever you want to do. It's actually a very thrilling experience, and hope this movie can inspire someone to change something in the rhythm of life they're currently living. I like movies that make you think different of things, and this surely is one that does so.

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13 out of 17 people found the following comment useful :-
GREAT MOVIE, 2 August 2003

Author: (snoopdoc15) from Germany

This movie is great, it should have been translated into English. It's often compared to Pulp Fiction by Quentin Tarantino. I can understand that to a certain point because it contains witty dialogues like Pulp Fiction but it combines them with tragic and still has it's funny moments.

And because of it's tragedy it makes you think, unlike Pulp Fiction (now don't get me wrong folks, I just LOVE that movie). The effect holds on and you wonder: what would I do, if I knew I'll die within a week or a month,... (some very short time period)

One of the movies, that you can't just put in one genre, it's more than that. Brilliant.

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8 out of 10 people found the following comment useful :-
A shame on Hollywood for not showing it in the Usa, 2 January 2001
Author: Viktoria Riegele (viki@haefft.de) from Augsburg, Germeny

As a german and former huge fan of actor til schweiger it was very important for me to see this movie when it was released in 1997. I wasn't disappointed at all, because this is probably one of the best movies ever. It is so entertaining because it is including a lot of humor (probably a lot of german humor), action and drama. Also very good is the performance of Moritz Bleibtreu, who became well-known, because of his great play of a turkish-german gangster. But this is ,as far as Im concerned, only funny for people who understand german very well.It would be quite nice for american people to watch a REALLY good german movie, that is better as some hollywood movies counted together. If you have the opinion to see it , use your chance!

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11 out of 16 people found the following comment useful :-
One of the best movies I've ever watched!, 3 May 2002

Author: jumping-lee from Bavaria, Germany

I don't want to repeat all these things so I just say that this is one of the best movies I have ever watched in my life. I recommend it everyone! It should be translated into other languages, too! On the one hand it is very funny and on the other hand very serious and sad! This movie includes two of the best German actors.

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7 out of 9 people found the following comment useful :-
chef-d'œuvre of life, 6 August 2006

Author: juliukz from Lithuania

European movies do have this feature: they combine drama and comedy and make you smile because it is too sad to cry.

Moreover, this particular film has a perfectly selected crew and the screenplay is flawless.

To have a dream. This masterpiece is all about it.

Two men, trapped by cancer unconsciously recognizing the sea as the symbol of freedom and eternity are making their last 500 km to the Baltic Sea.

Acting at its best the crew is offering us this warm feeling of sad happiness while singing Guns&Roses "Knock, knock, knockin' on the heaven's doors" and understanding, that such moments do make life.

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7 out of 9 people found the following comment useful :-
Excellent, excellent movie, 19 June 2000

Author: Gerard Newham (keltic@zip.com.au) from Sydney, Australia

The TV guide described the two leads in _KoHD_ as terminally ill gangsters, so when I came to watch it I discovered something quite different from what I had expected.

_KoHD_ is an excellent film that blends facets of gangster, buddy, road movie, comedy and drama genres together into a seamless whole. Initially, Martin and Rudi are, of course, hopelessly mismatched. As they travel towards the sea (their ultimate goal), the relationship between the two men begins to change. The nervous Rudi finds strength and confidence; Martin, on the other hand, who is initially by far the stronger of the pair, comes to rely more upon Rudi for strength and assistance.

Much have been made of the comedy in _KoHD_, and this is a major component - it is the humour that makes the film (which could have been utterly bleak) ultimately an uplifting experience. That being said, however, just when you forget that both men are dying you are reminded forcefully that they are both, as the title suggests, knocking on heaven's door. These two forces - the pathos and the comedy - provide a wonderful balance. Thumbs up.

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7 out of 10 people found the following comment useful :-
One of the best German films of the nineties, 26 June 2002

Author: Mikew3001 (mikew4001@yahoo.de) from Hamburg, Germany

"Knocking On Heaven's Door" has been a big German box office hit in the winter of 1996/97 and is still considered one of the best German movies of that decade next to the international success "Lola rennt". This is a breath-taking comedy about two losers (Til Schweiger and Jan-Josef Liefers) dying of cancer and getting anything they want during their last days on earth. They are robbing a bank and nicking a car containing a gangster's suitcase with a million marks in it. Of course the gangsters and the police hunting the guys who just want to reach the sea to die somewhere at the shore.

Although this road-movie story itself isn't very new and has been filmed many times in Hollywood movies, it stands on its own. The story has dozens of quotes and references from American movies and film genres, but it also knows how to add a local, German and European style to it. You see two henchmen, a Turk and a Belgian, dressed in black suits and with sunglasses like taken from a Tarantino film. You see Hannes Jaenicke dressed as a fatally-looking leather cop U.S.A. style, drinking Jaegermeister (a popular German spice liquor). You see popular fifties girlie actress Conny Froboess playing Til Schweiger's mum, an Elvis Presley adoring fan.

There are plenty of funny scenes in this movie, many witty dialogues, absurd situations and brilliant performances by all actors featuring Corinna Harfouch as a doctor, "Sexluder" Jenny Elvers as a nurse, Dutch movie stars Huub Stapel and Rutger Hauer as gangster bosses, Ralf Herforth as dumb police officer, etc. Schweiger and Liefers are giving the best performances of their career, adding pain, sadness and tragedy to the all-action-comedy style. The photography, editing and the surf-rock-like sound track by Selig are also outstanding. Take a look at this example of best German nineties cinema!!!

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4 out of 5 people found the following comment useful :-
Watch this film!, 8 March 2002
Author: brersimon from Washington, D.C.

This is easily one of the best films that I have seen in a long time and certainly the best of its modern gangster genre. The plot is maybe a touch formulaic but that fits well as the whole film pokes fun of many of the clichees that Hollywood pictures like Pulp Fiction take a little too seriously. Actually, I have heard many people compare it to Pulp Fiction, but the only real similarity I found is in its frenetic style and odd sense of humor. As for humor, the subtitles are well done, so you don't lose much in the translation.

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An underrated masterpiece, 16 June 2007

Author: vadim-berman from Australia

*** This comment may contain spoilers ***

Martin and Rudi, two terminally ill hospital roommates decide that they have nothing to lose and after a wild night steal a car from the hospital garage. The car belongs to two unwitting gangsters transporting load of cash. Chased by the police and the car owners, the couple is determined to make the most of their last days.

It's not the plot, it's the fast pace and the blend of humor and tragedy that makes this movie special and brilliant. I don't understand why it wasn't released worldwide.

I see there's an American remake (The Bucket List: http://us.imdb.com/title/tt0825232/) scheduled for this year. While I am a fan of both Jack Nicholson and Morgan Freeman, I don't think it will match "Knockin' on the Heaven's Door".

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