CrawlerChunky In truth, there is barely enough story here to make a film.

Numerootno A story that's too fascinating to pass by...

Orla Zuniga It is interesting even when nothing much happens, which is for most of its 3-hour running time. Read full review

Wyatt There's no way I can possibly love it entirely but I just think its ridiculously bad, but enjoyable at the same time.

Horst in Translation (filmreviews@web.de) "Die Zärtlichkeit der Wölfe" or "Tenderness of the Wolves" is a West German German-language film from the year 1973, so this one has its 45th anniversary soon. Of course it is in color and has sound. The director here is Ulli Lommel and he is seen by many only as the make of a whole lot of trash movies. So this one here is possibly his most acclaimed work by critics. This may have a lot to do with the fact that he has not written the script for this one, maybe because it was very early in his career still. Lommel was still under 30 back then. The writer is Kurt Raab, who also plays the main character. One of the producers is Rainer Werner Fassbinder, which should not be too surprising as he worked with Raab on many occasions.This is the story of Fritz Haarmann, a German mass murderer from the early 20th century. There are more films about him. Fritz Lang's "M" is also partially based on Haarmann and the recently deceased Götz George plays Haarmann in the critically acclaimed "Der Totmacher", a more recent version. But back to this one here. It is a fairly short film, closer to 80 than to 90 minutes. And the tender wolf here is Kurt Raab's character, a sensitive man who ends up abusing and murdering several boys in order to satisfy his desires. He is working undercover for the police, which makes it especially interesting as they really take a whole lot until they finally find out. This is also a reference to the real Haarmann. All in all, it is Kurt Raab's stunning performance that carries the film nicely from start to finish without dragging. I thought for the entire film Raab looked like a vampire in here, so the final scene was very appropriate. What a shame Raab did not end up playing Nosferatu or so in another movie. At least I think he did not. As for this one here, it is a pretty decent watch. The lead performance and the parallel to real events certainly elevate the material. Go check it out.

Boba_Fett1138 It's German, it's from the '70's, so of course this movie is being something different than usual. It's a typical European production, that doesn't take a spectacular Hollywood approach but instead focuses more on the visuals and actual storytelling.Guess that some people might find this movie to be a lackluster and even boring to watch but in its genre it's simply being an unique movie that is throughout intriguing to watch. It's a movie that grabs you, even though the movie has some slow storytelling in it. It's really a movie that takes its time to set up things and never does things hastily. Even the killings occur in a slow, delicate manner, often without wasting too much dialog on it. It's all the more intriguing once you know that this movie is fairly well based on true events and persons.I wasn't sure what to expect from this movie beforehand, since it had a premise of an homosexual German serial killer, set in the early 20th century. This are 3 things that might already scare off some people from ever watching it. I had no idea what the overall tone or the story would be all about. In all honesty, I was more expecting an homo-erotic type of movie, also because of its title perhaps. But it's simply a very accessible movie to just basically everyone. It isn't trying to be very controversial or groundbreaking with its subject, which might also be one of the reasons though why this movie isn't that well known. Sure, there is some male nudity in the movie but it's all fairly tame and toned down. It certainly isn't being presented as anything erotic or exciting, so you shouldn't feel too uncomfortable with it.It's more a movie that tries to shock with its premise, which does work out well. The movie feels and looks almost like an horror movie at times, due to its fine atmosphere and effective storytelling. It's a really well made film, that feels a bit clumsy at times with its editing perhaps but even this contributes to its nice suiting eerie atmosphere.It also all works out very well thanks to its main character, that got played very well by Kurt Raab, who does look quite effectively creepy.One greatly effective and intriguing movie.8/10http://bobafett1138.blogspot.com/

brandonsites1981 Cannibal with ties to the police department lures young boys to his apartment and acts out his sexual fantasies along with murdering them. He then cuts them up into little pieces and dumps there bodies into the ocean. However, he saves a few select piecies and sells them to the locals!Extremely disturbing to say the least (the fact that many of the residents don't care and thinks he is doing them a favor adds to this factor). Film features some good camera work, daring performances and a lush glossy feel, but don't let that fool you. This film is extremely graphic in its presentation and doesn't hold anything back. So so script however neglects an otherwise fine film.Unrated; Graphic Nudity, Strong Sexual Content, Extreme Violence, Strong Mature Themes.

Olhado I really wanted to like this film more than I eventually did. The plot just wasn't handled well enough to give me that extra thrill.It probably didn't help that I watched Fritz Lang's "M" the night before.Rather a waste of Fassbinder's talents.