IM SCHATTEN / IN SHADOWS

Fresh out of prison, Trojan wastes no time in preparing his next hit. This job will be big -hopefully big enough to earn him a comfortable retirement for the rest of his life- so selecting the right accomplishes and planning everything thoroughly are of the utmost importance. Set against an industrial background of body shops, grey parking garages and stuffy post-industrial Berlin apartments, "In the Shadows" is a prime example of a contemporary action thriller. Director Thomas Arslan is not interested in emotionally engaging spectators in his characters' personal affairs, preferring to focus on the crime itself - from its conception, to its planning and execution. Arslan's sheer skill in handling and building up suspense brings to mind the noir master Melville, while the film's overall structure and its climactic conclusion demonstrate the potential this misunderstood genre still holds for the 21st century.