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Andreas Lust, Franziska Weisz, Markus Schleinzer, Roman Kettner, Hannelore Klauber-Laursen ... see more see more... , Tabea Werich , Nina Steiner , Wolfgang Petrik , Florian Wotruba , Johannes Handler , Katharina Hülle , Tony Nagy , Michaela Christl , Georg Mlynek , Alexander E. Fennon , Alex Scheurer , Friedrich Stindl , Walter Huber , Leopold Böhm , Gerda Drabek , Marcus Bauer , Hannes Ipirotis , Robert Müllner , Christian Buchmayr , Martin Prinz , Jürgen Köllner , Karin Köllner , Michael Steinbrecher , Johann Bednar , Max Edelbacher , Cobra , Michael Welz , Erwin Reichel , Peter Vilnai , Bernd-Christian Althoff , Swintha Gersthofer

Directed by Benjamin Heisenberg (Sleeper) and starring established actor Andreas Lust (Revanche), The Robber is slated to open in New York City on April 29, 2011, at the Lincoln Plaza and Cinema Villa... read more read more...ge. The film will expand to other US and Canadian markets during the spring and summer of 2011. Based on a novel by the Austrian author Martin Prinz, and shot on location in Vienna, The Robber was one of the most critically acclaimed films featured at last year's New York Film Festival. The film was also an official selection at the 2010 Berlin and Toronto Film Festivals. The film's main character, Johann Rettenberger, was inspired by the life of Austrian bank-robber and runner Johann Kastenberger, a man who set records in long-distance races while - in the rest of his free time - secretly knocked over bank after bank. Widely referred to as "Pump-gun Ronnie," after the Ronald Reagan mask he wore and the shotgun used on the assaults, Rettenberger still holds the record time in the Bergmarathon, a famous race held in the Austrian Alps. Deprived of by-the-books psychological motivations and character development, The Robber paints a visceral picture of pathological compulsion and it is the rare character portrait that also excels as an action film. -- (C) Kino

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67% liked it

520 ratings

Critics

76% liked it

25 critics

Unrated, 1 hr. 36 min.

Directed by: Benjamin Heisenberg

Release Date: April 29, 2011

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DVD Release Date: October 18, 2011

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Flixster Reviews (55)

  • LorenzoVonMatterhorn
    January 1, 2012
    LorenzoVonMatterhorn
    "I love you, Hans."

    Tells the true story of Johann Rettenberger, a marathon athlete who developed robbing banks as a hobby.

    REVIEW

    Johann is neither a likable person nor is a crazed criminal p... read moresychopath which leads the viewer to a unusual predicament in that you start to almost barrack for him. He never hurts anyone, just robs banks and in the interim goes running in marathons. In his face mask and plain clothes, he doesn't even look like he'd hurt a fly. Of course things turn nasty and caught up in the picture is a woman Erika, she, like the audience as events get worse are left with the moral dilemma of choosing an outcome for Johann. Should he get away with it or be caught and serve time? Johann himself never really expresses any real emotion so there is little to understand why he should do what he does, but this adds to the film as it gives the audience more intrigue without throwing in too many questions.

    Stylishly the film looks great, some beautiful scenery during one of the marathons are great. And then there are the running sequences, Johann runs a lot, to bank robberies, from robberies and then just for the hell of it. Director Benjamin Heisenberg uses some great camera work to follow Johann on these runs and in one sequence when he is chased by a cop car through a car park, the editing is effective enough to create a tense exciting sequence. The films ends with quietly, in some ways rather sadly, but others may find it a little too predictable. However the film is a great piece of work that makes the audience question itself and it's attitude towards others.
  • fb1245361650
    August 31, 2011
    fb1245361650
    Equal parts exhilirating and depressing, 'The Robber' is a masterpiece among criminal character studies. I really do think this a a brilliant film.
  • jonnycrumley
    September 3, 2011
    jonnycrumley
    Very good crime thriller. The Robber is inspired by the life of Austrian bank-robber and runner Johann Kastenberger, a man who set records in long-distance races while - in the rest of his free time - secretly knocked over bank after bank. Widely referred to as "Pump-gun Ronnie,"... read more after the Ronald Reagan mask he wore and the shotgun used on the assaults, The Robber is nicely directed and solidly acted. The main character wasn't at all likeable, but at the same time I still wanted him to get out of dodge. Recommended.

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Critic Reviews

Roger Ebert
August 4, 2011
Roger Ebert, Chicago Sun-Times

Here is a well-made movie with insufficient interest in its hero. Full Review

Colin Covert
June 9, 2011
Colin Covert, Minneapolis Star Tribune

The film boasts several turbocharged chase-and-escape sequences, alongside understated character analysis. Full Review

Steven Rea
May 26, 2011
Steven Rea, Philadelphia Inquirer

The Robber is powerful stuff. Full Review

Michael O'Sullivan
May 20, 2011
Michael O'Sullivan, Washington Post

"The Robber" is one of the most abstemious thrillers in recent memory. Full Review

Janice Page
May 13, 2011
Janice Page, Boston Globe

Armed with a screenplay adapted from a Martin Prinz novel based on a true story, writer-director Benjamin Heisenberg has crafted something as serious, quietly determined, and surprisingly compelling a... Full Review

Sheri Linden
May 5, 2011
Sheri Linden, Los Angeles Times

A film as lean and taut as its marathon-winning title character. Full Review

V.A. Musetto
April 29, 2011
V.A. Musetto, New York Post

Benjamin Heisenberg's thriller ends with a chase across highways and through woods that will give viewers adrenaline highs of their own. Full Review

Mike Hale
April 28, 2011
Mike Hale, New York Times

The rare mash-up of genre material - in this case kinetic, on-the-run caper - and art-house sensibility that's actually enjoyable, up to a point. Full Review

Melissa Anderson
April 26, 2011
Melissa Anderson, Village Voice

A nimble, dynamic character study of a fiercely guarded loner on the run. Full Review

Calvin Wilson
June 10, 2011
Calvin Wilson, St. Louis Post-Dispatch

"The Robber" is artfully done but emotionally remote. Full Review

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The Robber Trivia

  • In The Hot Chick, what item caused Jessica and the robber to switch bodies?  Answer »
  • Which movie stars Gene Wilder as a Rabbi and Harrison Ford as a bank robber?  Answer »
  • Al Pacino is the cop, and Robert De Niro is the robber. Name the movie.  Answer »
  • Why does Peter let the robber go in Spiderman?  Answer »
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