Tattoo
(Region 3 HK DVD)
(2005)
review by Don't Feed the Dead

With the severe lack of quality serial killer flicks on the market these days, I was very excited to finally get a hold of Robert Schwentke's Tattoo. A German film which I had heard about over a year ago, Tattoo was well sought after by yours truly and finally obtained in an R3 format. I don't know if it was the excitement leading up to its viewing, or the immense amount of splatter FX in the film, but Tattoo is one title that will sit well with me for a long time to come.

During a raid on a dance club, police recruit Marc Schrader(Diehl) is busted for carrying drugs by a renegade homicide detective. Rather than turning Schrader in, Detective Minks (Redl) offers him a spot on the homicide squad. Reluctant at first, Marc is forced head on into a gruesome investigation as the charred body of a woman is found amidst a car wreck on a desolate intersection. The body is of a female who sports a decent amount of body modification, and during the rather graphic autopsy it is discovere that she bit the finger off of her attacker. With the finger of an ex convict linked to the murder, Schrader and Minks set out to gather more information on the case.

Amidst the investigatory procedures, the two detectives come upon a female friend of the victim who claims to know very little, but is withholding some detail of importance. Apparently, the dead friend had a very rare tattoo on her back by a deceased Japanese artist. After further digging around it is discovered that there are specific "collectors" of these pieces of skin who have put bounties on these very rare Japanese tattoos. Schrader and Minks set out to find the ex con and believe that he is somehow linked to these bounties, and ultimately the collectors of the tattoos.

Clearly, a great deal of imagination and effort was put forth to bring Tattoo to life. A very well told story with a great deal of unexpected occurances coupled with some of the grandest FX work I've seen in a Thriller/Killer film makes this flick a true winner. Although it's ultimately a predictable film, Tattoo does sport some moments where the viewer WILL be shocked at the turn of events.

A great deal of the movie's sell comes from the perfomances of Diehl and Redl as the police detectives. Rather than play out the "good cop/ bad cop" relationship the viewer is first introduced to, Schwentke opts to expose each of the detectives' weakpoints as the film progresses. The breakdown of both characters and their abilities to deal with or withdraw from certain situations adds a wonderful human element to the film in which the viewer can relate to. Schwentke makes it a point to distinguish that there is no such thing as a "super cop" and the only separation between the police and society is a gun and badge.

Unfortunately, even though the packaging of the film is superb (die cut slip cover of the skinned tattoo) the extras are a bit light and insignificant. Sporting just a trailer and photo gallery for the film, Tattoo's R3 disc lacks the behind the scenes featurette that would have made the purchase that more redeeming. Hopefully, a nice 2 Disc set is on the horizon for an R1 release as I would be more inclined to replace my R3 version with a more complete volume.

By now, you can probably see that I'm completely sold on this film. As with Se7en and Kiss the Girls, you'll get a complete storyline filled with intense and disturbing moments from Schwentke and Co. Tattoo was a film that I had to wait over a year to get my hands on, and after watching it last night I have to say that I feel truly redeemed for my patience.