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6.7/10
Senior Film Conservator
A definitive 6.7/10 rating for a film that redefined the boundaries of cult cinema. Der Draufgänger remains a cornerstone of transgressive art.
Honestly, you should only watch this if you really like Hans Albers. Or if you have a weird obsession with 1930s German harbor police. It's a bit of a slow burn, and not always the good kind. People who like fast-paced modern thrillers will probably hate this within ten minutes.
I watched this on a Tuesday when I couldn't sleep. The print I saw was grainy, which actually made the night scenes in the harbor look pretty cool. It has that foggy, old-world vibe that you just don't get anymore. 🚢
Hans Albers plays Hans (classic), a harbor cop. He’s got that swagger he always has. He pulls this girl out of the water during a night watch, and suddenly he's in the middle of a jewel robbery plot. It’s one of those movies where everyone seems to know each other but nobody is telling the truth.
The weirdest part is when the plot moves to a hippodrome. The villain is a gangster who owns the place now. I don't know why every old crime movie needs a horse-related subplot, but here we are. It felt a bit like The Abysmal Brute in how it tries to mix sport and crime, though not quite as focused.
There is this one scene where they are at the hippodrome and the background noise is just... loud. It’s like the sound guy just left the mic open near a stable. I kind of liked it though. It felt real, unlike the polished sound you get now.
The mistress of the jailed gangster is also hanging around. She’s mixed up with an American millionaire. Why is there always a random millionaire in these plots? He doesn't do much except look rich and confused. 🤨
I noticed that Hans Albers wears his hat at a very specific angle for the entire first half. It looks like it should fall off, but it never does. Magic.
There’s a rescue scene early on that goes on for a while. The water looks freezing. You can see the actors actually shivering, which makes me feel bad for them. No CGI back then, just cold German river water.
Some of the dialogue is really snappy, but then there are these long pauses. Like the actors forgot what comes next. Or maybe they were just waiting for the fog machine to catch up. It reminded me a bit of the pacing in Ghost Parade, where things just sort of stop and start for no reason.
Mártha Eggerth is in this too. She’s fine, but the script doesn’t give her much to do besides look worried. She has this one expression where she stares at the camera like she’s trying to remember if she turned the stove off. It’s kind of funny after the third time she does it. She reminds me a bit of the lead in The Dream Doll, just less whimsical.
The whole jewel robbery thing is actually pretty confusing. I think I missed a scene because suddenly everyone was at a different house. There’s an out-of-jail gangster who wants his cut. He’s very grumpy. He spends most of his screen time scowling at people through cigarette smoke. 🚬
The writers—there were four of them, which explains why the story feels like it was glued together—really wanted to make this a grand mystery. But it mostly just feels like a guy trying to do his job while people lie to him. It’s more of a character study of a cop than a real heist movie.
I liked the scenes with the harbor police companion. They have this easy chemistry. It feels like they’ve actually worked together for years. They do this little nod to each other that felt very human. Not like actors, just two guys who are tired of the night shift.
If you're looking for something like Tragédia de Amor, this isn't nearly as heavy. It stays pretty light even when people are getting threatened. Albers won't let things get too dark. He’s too charming for that.
It’s not a masterpiece. It’s not even the best Albers movie. But it’s got a certain charm if you like that specific era of filmmaking. It’s better than Stone Age Stunts, that's for sure. At least the people here are mostly relatable.
I’ll probably forget most of the plot by next week. But I’ll remember the way the harbor lights looked on the water. And that hat. That heroic hat tilt.
If you have nothing else to do and you find a copy, give it a go. Just don't expect it to change your life. It's just a decent way to spend ninety minutes looking at old Germany. 🇩🇪
One more thing—the ending feels very rushed. Like they ran out of film or the sun was coming up and they had to go home. It just... ends. Very abrupt. I wish we got to see more of the aftermath, but I guess that’s just how they did it back then.
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