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THE JUDGE AND HIS HANGMAN

DER RICHTER UND SEIN HENKER

By Manlio ROSEANO

Crime - Development 2019

Inspector Ba¨rlach forgoes the arrest of a murderer in order to manipulate him into killing another, more elusive criminal.

- Year of production
- 2019
- Genres
- Crime
- Countries
- GERMANY, ITALY
- Languages
- ENGLISH
- Budget
- 3 - 5 M$
- Duration
- 120 mn
- Director(s)
- Manlio ROSEANO
- Writer(s)
- Friedrich DÜRRENMATT
- Cast
- August DIEHL
- Synopsis
- Venice 1970. The young inspector Barlach meets during the carnival a young entrepreneur named Guzman. They become friends and enjoy a party on the Grand Canal. After the party as they go home they make a strange bet. Guzman thinks he's able to commit a murder in Balrach's presence without him being able to prove it.
  The next day Guzman kills a tourists in front of Barlach. The young inspector tries all he can to prove it, but the local police has no evidence to charge Guzman.
  40 years later a police lieutenant is found dead on a mountain road near Vienna.
  Barlach is in charge of the case and is assisted by the young investigator Tschanz.
  The investigation eventually leads them to a big Villa outside Vienna. The Villa belongs to a high society member named Gastmann. It’s Balrach's old nemesis Guzman that changed his name into Gastmann. Unfortunately the lack of evidence and social state of Gastmann, prevent the police to investigate any further.
  Tschanz is frustrated and believes Gastmann is the murderer and tries to force Barlach of his theory.
  Barlach finally meets and confronts his old nemesis, taking his revenge. He makes a counter-bet: he will judge and condemn Gastmann to death for a crime he didn’t commit.
  Tschanz, being the real murderer of the police lieutenant, is driven by despair and faces Gastmann by visiting him at the Villa. In the shooting Tschanz kills him and his two servants and is slightly wounded.
  The police chief has no other choice than believing Tschanz theory. Gastmann is charged with the murder of the police lieutenant and the case is solved. The same night Barlach invites Tschanz for dinner and reveals him the truth. He knew from the beginning Tschanz was the real murder and he was using him against Gastmann for his scope of justice. Balrach was the judge and Tschanz, unaware, his hangman.