Antibodies

2005

2h 7m

Crime

Drama

Horror

Mystery & Thriller

List

67%

21 Reviews

Tomatometer

71%

2,500+ Ratings

Audience Score

After a serial killer (André Hennicke) is arrested, a small-town policeman (Wotan Wilke Möhring) gets to interrogate him, but the interview challenges the cop's beliefs, turning him into a threat.

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Critics Consensus

It's derivative and its more ambitious aspirations don't amount to much, but Antibodies remains a reasonably diverting and well-made thriller.

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Time Out

Rated: 2/6

Feb 17, 2007

Full Review

Manohla Dargis

New York Times

Antibodies brings together a philosophically minded serial killer, a devoutly religious cop and a cynical filmmaker clearly itching to go Hollywood.

Rated: 2.5/5

Feb 16, 2007

Full Review

Kyle Smith

New York Post

A German thriller that isn't shy about ripping off The Silence of the Lambs.

Rated: 2.5/4

Feb 16, 2007

Full Review

Debbie Lynn Elias

Behind The Lens

In German with English sub-titles, the performances of [Wotan Wilke] Mohring and [Andre] Hennicke together with the visuals are strong enough that even were there not subtitles, one would know exactly what terror had taken hold.

Nov 6, 2019

Full Review

Louis Proyect

rec.arts.movies.reviews

A compelling mixture of "Silence of the Lambs" and the biblical tale of god commanding Abraham to slay his son Isaac--believe it or not.

Feb 28, 2012

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Keith H. Brown

Eye for Film

Rated: 4.5/5

Dec 7, 2007

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Wolfgang G

Antikörper ist ein deutscher Thriller von Christian Alvart… Als ein Killer verhaftet wird, sieht der Polizist Martens Zusammenhänge mit dem Jahre zurückliegenden Mord an einem Mädchen und nimmt die Ermittlungen wieder auf… Der Film erinnert mich an "Das Schweigen der Lämmer", ja Antikörper ist ein eigenständiger Psychothriller mit einem exzellenten Drehbuch… Ein psychologischer, radikaler und konsequenter Thriller, der auf das sogenannte religiöse Prinzip Gut und Böse und auf Schuld und Sühne setzt… Eine außergewöhnliche Inszenierung mit exzellenten Schauspielern…

Rated 4.5 out of 5 stars

12/19/23

Full Review

Audience Member

The concensus pretty much summarises what I was going to write.

Rated 2.5 out of 5 stars

01/25/23

Full Review

Audience Member

Evil is a highly contagious virus!

Rated 5 out of 5 stars

02/09/23

Full Review

Audience Member

Ok this one was a tense ride and got me right til the very end. A little Silence of the Lambs andCriminal Minds

Rated 4 out of 5 stars

01/20/23

Full Review

Audience Member

Disturbing and compelling .. A must watch German movie.

Rated 4 out of 5 stars

01/28/23

Full Review

Audience Member

"Antibodies" tips it hand far too early and closes with an inexplicable third act, but succeeds in creating an unsettling atmosphere with a palpable sense of terror throughout. Slick and sadistic, this German serial killer thriller delivers some chills respectively, but it's not nearly as clever or as compelling as it thinks it is. Serial killer Gabriel Engels (Andre Hennicke) is captured while fleeing from his apartment, because he is the prime suspect in the killing a young girl several years earlier. Small-town cop Michael Martens (Wotan Wilke Möhring) has been investigating the 18-month-old unsolved murder, and may now have his big break in the case. Michael must go to the big city to interrogate the suspect, in the hopes that he'll get a confession. His decision unexpectedly pays dividends, and details slowly begin to surface. Möhring's deeply conflicted performance anchors the movie, as the confession from Engels and his mind games slowly push Michael back towards his own hometown. But soon, as Martens comes under the influence of Engels, he finds himself in a dark place and questions his own faith, as well as his entire existence. The plot twists and mind games that should shock and surprise are transparent and obvious, while director Christian Alvart tips his hand too early in a film where the run time clocks in at two plus hours. The third act of "Antibodies" shifts its primary focus to Michael and his son, and it creates one of the strangest biblical allusions I've ever seen. The story shifts from the profile of a serial killer to that of a man's existential identity crisis, and then to his redemption, when he didn't seem to deserve it in the first place. Desperately attempting to create the illusion of something profound, it backfires and comes across as absolutely absurd. In comparison to other films in the serial killer genre, this one hovers somewhere just above middle of the pack at best.

Rated 3 out of 5 stars

02/05/23

Full Review

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Christian Alvart

Director

Wotan Wilke Möhring

Michael Martens

André Hennicke

Gabriel Engel

Norman Reedus

Polizist Schmitz

Christian von Aster

Polizist Wagner

Waltraud Witte

Frau Hering

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Synopsis

After a serial killer (André Hennicke) is arrested, a small-town policeman (Wotan Wilke Möhring) gets to interrogate him, but the interview challenges the cop's beliefs, turning him into a threat.

Director: Christian Alvart
Screenwriter: Christian Alvart
Production Co: MedienKontor, Kinowelt Filmproduktion [de]
Genre: Crime, Drama, Horror, Mystery & Thriller
Original Language: German
Release Date (Streaming): Feb 4, 2013
Runtime: 2h 7m

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