Alles auf Rot

Three years after his conviction for drug trafficking, Erich Kessel is about to be released from prison. It's a particularly trying time for this addiction-free former narcotics officer, whose seriously ill daughter has just died. With his wife, Claire, ready to give him a second chance after years of separation, and his former colleague and friend, Superintendent Mario Diller, having found him a job as a bartender, Kessel is determined to prove himself beyond reproach. But shortly before his release, the double murder of a young drug dealer and his fiancée, daughter of the powerful Syrian crime boss Walid Schukri, threatens to ruin his fine promises. The latter, who is serving a long sentence alongside Kessel, offers him a handsome sum to catch his daughter's killer. For the former commissioner, now broke, the temptation is great to accept this juicy contract, the ultimate investigation on the frontier of legality.

Directed by Lars Becker, Alles auf Rot leans on a strong ensemble — Nicholas Ofczarek, Fritz Karl, Jessica Schwarz — to carry a story that balances spectacle with character.

The film landed with audiences for its craft and performances, and remains one of the most talked-about crime titles of 2021.