Emil and the Detectives
On a bus trip to Berlin to visit his family, Emil has his money stolen by a tunnel-digging con artist. In pursuit of the thief, he meets Gustav, a resourceful young boy who assembles his friends to help Emil recover the funds. Their quest soon spirals into greater trouble when the pickpocket who wronged Emil is revealed to be entangled with two notorious bank robbers.
Director(s)
Peter Tewksbury
Cast & Crew
Details
Reviews
r96sk
A respectable and watchable film. I do feel <em>'Emil and the Detectives'</em> could've been bigger and better, there's a load of good ingredients there. With that said, it is still a film that has its pluses. One is how it looks, with cool shots of 1960s Berlin. Another is the humour which is pretty solid. The cast is where it gets underwhelming, not in terms of the actors but just in regards to the characters and their respective developments. Heinz Schubert, Walter Slezak and Peter Ehrlich are suitable choices to portray Grundeis, The Baron and Müller. However, they never really get out of second gear. I personally wanted more from the trio. Then you have the child actors, for which there are many - probably too many as none of them, aside from Emil (Bryan Russell) and Gustav (Roger Mobley), get much development or even serious screen time. As for the premise, it's entertaining. Like with what I've already noted, it's all just a bit safe and mild. It definitely could've been greater. I still had a fun enough time with this, though.