(spoiler free)
It’s the familiar tale of get rich quick, and not entirely legally, in new German crime drama Rising High. David Kross, previously seen in The Keeper and War Horse, stars as Viktor, a young man with his sights set high. When he meets Gerry, played here by Frederick Lau, the pair enter the real estate business together, both with euro signs in their eyes. When banker Nicole, played by Janina Uhse joins their scheme things really take off, but will greed get the better of them? You can probably guess the answer to that.
The story here is nothing new. Whether it’s Jordan Belfort’s infamous rise and fall thanks to his dodgy stock market drama in The Wolf of Wall Street or Efraim Diveroli and David Packouz’s shady arms dealing in War Dogs this is a rags to riches story you’ve seen before. The genre trope of drug fueled party montages is used without restraint but unexpectedly the flashy and cartoon style editing techniques, often present in these types of films used to explain business jargon, are thankfully not employed. Its choice to avoid this style of storytelling separates it somewhat from its predecessors. This decision alongside its shorter running time helps to create a more engaging experience for audiences instead of distracting them with the constant stop and start style seen in other similar films. Instead Viktor retells his story to a journalist, not miles away from the style seen in Lorene Scafaria’s Hustlers, and for the most part this is an effective, albeit unoriginal way to do so.
In certain moments of the film, the details of the real estate scams aren’t always made explicitly clear for viewers and whilst these aren’t necessarily that important for the overall impact of the film it can take you out of the moment. However, the performances of the three main actors are all good and should help keep viewers attention. This type of story won’t be for everyone, its not crystal clear if you should be rooting for these characters or not. Although, you don’t have to side with a character to enjoy their story and in Rising High the performances are enthusiastic enough to remaining engaging throughout and make this a narrative that’s entertaining to watch.
However, you should definitely consider your tolerance for the inevitability of stories like this, especially when it’s the latest in a long line of similar stories. It feels more tame than its genre counterparts and less vibrant, but this could well suit those viewers who can often find films like these too brash and in your face. Its shorter running time compliments the narrative and the performances of its main cast do it a lot of favours. Ultimately this is a solid entry into this genre but its not a streaming property you’ll remember for too long.
Written by Hamish Calvert
★★★
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