Horst in Translation (filmreviews@web.de)
"Fluchtweg St. Pauli - Großalarm für die Davidswache" or "Hot Traces of St. Pauli" is a German 85-minute movie from 1971, so yes I should say West German and this means that this one is not too far away from its 50th anniversary anymore. The director is Wolfgang Staudte and his name stood for quality back then frequently just like the one of co-writer George Hurdalek. The most known cast member is Horst Frank without a doubt. He plays a criminal who manages to flee from prison and when he gets to visit his brother and wife and the path of violence and crime that ensues when Frank's character finds out that the two may actually have something going on in his absence. Yes crime is a dominant component during this film, but with the constant struggles in this relationship between two brothers, it is at least as much of a family drama, also because of the references to the father for example, not just the competing brothers. But sadly, as good as the film tries to be, this is also the area where it is maybe at its weakest, maybe even on a level where it is a negative deal breaker. Lets be honest here, the bad guy is a quite gifted capable man, so it feels hard to believe that the older brother, minutes after he was drunk and really down, all of a sudden manages to stand up to Frank's character. It just did not feel realistic. And as this was at the very core of the film, well it cannot be ignored like some of the other minor flaws. There are some good moments too, like the ending really that had some grit for sure, don't get me wrong, but nothing was really memorable I would say. This was the time when some of (West) Germany's most courageous filmmakers came up with great movies. This is not one of these I must say. It still helps the film that they made it in color I think as otherwise, it would have been an even weaker watch. But still it is not on a level where I would recommedn this film to anybody other than the greatest Horst Frank fans. Admittedly, his performance was perhaps the very best thing about these under 1.5 hours and he gave a pretty solid villain portrayal. So he gets a thumbs-up, the film gets a thumbs-down. And I suggest you watch something else instead.
