Duel in the Night (Duell in der Nacht)
There are no swords drawn, or guns brandished in Duell in der Nacht (Duel in the Night). It’s a war of words and a battle of wits that wends this way and that for the entire duration of the film.
A detective is summoned to another city to wrap up a seemingly straightforward murder case. A policeman has been slain, and his alleged murderer has been detained. It’s a simple matter of eliciting the required confession and laying charges. But when the detective’s integrity and thorough approach compel him to question the suspect further, the waters are quickly muddied by the emergence of a number of facts that certain people would rather had been kept hidden. Why was the policeman murdered and by whom?
Ubiquitous German actor Jürgen Vogel stars in this made-for-tv feature that looks anything but. While worthy of a theatrical release, sadly it can only be seen at cinemas in Australia as part of the Audi Festival of German Film. Sad, simply because if you don’t catch it on one of only two nights it’s screening, you’ll miss it completely. And that would be a shame. Duel in the Night features urbane characters in a taut drama, whose plot continues to reveal itself until the very end.