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Knife in the Head

Play trailer Poster for Knife in the Head 1978 1h 48m Drama Play Trailer Watchlist
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86% Tomatometer 7 Reviews 100% Popcornmeter 100+ Ratings
Hoffman (Bruno Ganz) is searching for his wife (Angela Winkler) at the youth center where she works. When a police raid turns into an armed struggle with revolutionaries, Hoffman is caught in the crossfire, and shot in the head. Once a promising bio-geneticist, Hoffman is now unable to move and barely able to remember the incident. While terrorists claim him as a hero, police frame him to justify shooting him. Hoffman must painstakingly piece together his memory to discover what really happened.
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Knife in the Head

Critics Reviews

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Jay Scott Globe and Mail Knife in the head shatters commercial crockery... it allows for realistic fear. Aug 16, 2022 Full Review Roger Ebert Chicago Sun-Times Knife in the Head isn't a straightforward leftist political tract; it's much more subtle than that, and if it has a position, it's closer to despair than to radical reform. Rated: 3/4 Oct 23, 2004 Full Review Matt Brunson Film Frenzy The film’s low-key approach only enhances the chill factor. Rated: 3/4 Dec 5, 2022 Full Review Michael Lasky Bay Area Reporter Bruno Ganz as Bertolt Hoffmann, our hero, is staggering in a performance frightening in its realism. May 4, 2020 Full Review Jesús Fernández Santos El Pais (Spain) The story feels too distant, if not ambiguous. The ending is too theatrical, which seems to be the common vice of the new German cinema. [Full Review in Spanish] Aug 12, 2019 Full Review Dennis Schwartz Dennis Schwartz Movie Reviews It starts out as a political thriller, but turns ugly into a psychodrama. Rated: B Jun 5, 2010 Full Review Read all reviews

Audience Reviews

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Audience Member Saw this in probably 78 or 79 at an arthouse cinema in Toronto, remember it being excellent, Rated 4.5 out of 5 stars 02/14/23 Full Review Audience Member Brilliant psychological thriller with ambient music by Tangerine Dream. I haven't seen this in years, still not on DVD, but would love to see it again. Rated 5 out of 5 stars 01/22/23 Full Review Read all reviews
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Knife in the Head

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Movie Info

Synopsis Hoffman (Bruno Ganz) is searching for his wife (Angela Winkler) at the youth center where she works. When a police raid turns into an armed struggle with revolutionaries, Hoffman is caught in the crossfire, and shot in the head. Once a promising bio-geneticist, Hoffman is now unable to move and barely able to remember the incident. While terrorists claim him as a hero, police frame him to justify shooting him. Hoffman must painstakingly piece together his memory to discover what really happened.
Director
Reinhard Hauff
Genre
Drama
Original Language
German
Runtime
1h 48m
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