Allmen und das Geheimnis des Koi

Allmen used to be an occasional art thief, but has now gone legit, retrieving stolen artwork in the service of the proper owner. This barely funds his lavish lifestyle, which includes an irrepressible gambling habit, a fine wardrobe and his own manservant, with whom he travels the world – which is why he also dates one of the richest women in Switzerland. While vacationing with her in Tenerife, he finds himself pushed into an assignment that is unusual even for his libertine standards: retrieving a stolen Koi, a highly bred Japanese carp that might not be worth much mounted on a wall, but will fetch as much as many artworks when alive.

He tackles this assignment with aplomb and style, combining his ability to dress like James Bond with a mental acuity just below Hercule Poirot’s and comes up with the right conclusion just when all wrong conclusions have previously been reached.

Sinje Köhler's exhilarating direction is just as enjoyable as the wonderful screen energy between Heino Ferch and Samuel Finzi, who, as an odd couple among criminalists, overshadow quite a few of their infamous colleagues. You name it.