The Golden Glove is a 2019 German-French crime drama about a serial killer who strikes fear in the hearts of residents of Hamburg during the early 1970s.
Written and directed by Fatih Akin, based on a true crime novel by Heinz Strunk, the movie stars Jonas Dassler, Katja Studt, Margarete Tiesel and Marc Hosemann.
Reviews:
“This is the brutal, ugly, episodic story of a killer, and Akin makes sure that he does not glorify Honka – by making him and his world so dark, so painful and so disgusting that it’s almost too savage to watch […] It’s a movie for those with a strong constitution; it’s expertly made, but it’s also one of the most heinous, bloody and gory films that have ever played in competition at a major film festival.” Cineuropa
“The film draws its style from Henry: Portrait of a Serial Killer and is, like that seminal thriller, a technically precise and well-made movie that I have no desire to watch again. But unlike it, The Golden Glove fails to reveal any of its killer’s psychology: He’s a psycho; he hurts; he kills; the end […] but the craft of it is undeniable. Crooked Marquee
“Murder is so often used as a commentary by screenwriters that we’ve admittedly lost some of the truth of its pointless brutality on the big and small screen. Once you realize that Akin is going to hold nothing back, The Golden Glove becomes an artless, flat affair.” RogerEbert.com
“This elaborately ugly and bludgeoningly boring film would be unpleasant enough if it were wholly fiction […] Without any attempt at an original perspective on Honka’s psychology, this ‘horror’ just feels like an opportunity to victimise these unfortunate women a second time.” Sight & Sound
“The Golden Glove is one of the most challenging movies you’ll ever see, and if it leaves you feeling unclean and outraged, then it’s done its job. Fritz Honka wasn’t a slasher from a B-grade horror movie. He wasn’t a sophisticated evil genius like Hannibal Lecter. He was real. Talk about terrifying.” Slash Film
Cast and characters:
- Jonas Dassler … Fritz Honka
- Katja Studt … Helga Denningsen
- Margarete Tiesel … Gerda Voss
- Marc Hosemann … Siggi Honka
- Adam Bousdoukos … Lefteris
- Martina Eitner-Acheampong … Frida
- Greta Sophie Schmidt … Petra Schulz
- Heinz Strunk … Kriegsveteran
- Victoria Trauttmansdorff … Gisela
- Laurens Walter … Polizist
- Tristan Göbel … Willi
- Philipp Baltus … Zuhälter
- Hark Bohm … Dornkaat-Max
- Jessica Kosmalla … Ruth
- Tom Hoßbach … Fritz Honka (young)
Filming locations:
Hamburg, Germany
Technical details:
115 minutes
Audio: Dolby Atmos
Aspect Ratio: 1.85: 1
