Manolescu: A Thief, A Tuxedo, and a Lot of 1933 Swagger

Is it worth your time?

Look, if you dig old German cinema and don't mind a movie that feels like it’s constantly trying to smooth out its own wrinkles, you’ll probably have a decent time. It’s a bit of a relic, sure, but there’s a certain swagger here that’s hard to hate. If you need your plots to be super tight or if you get bored by guys in tails just standing around looking smug, maybe skip it. It's for the patient viewer, really.

The whole thing feels like it's trying to justify its own indulgence. It’s got that specific 1930s sheen, you know? Like everything was filmed inside a box of expensive chocolates.

The vibe

Watching this made me think of The Fall of the Romanoffs, mostly because of that heavy, old-world decadence that seems to hang in the air of every single frame. The costumes are absurdly crisp. Everyone looks like they just stepped out of a tailor shop, even when they’re busy swiping diamonds from some unsuspecting countess.

There's this one moment where Manolescu—played by Iván Petrovich—is just... waiting. He’s leaning against a doorway, doing absolutely nothing, and it lasts just a second too long. It’s charming, but also kinda funny. You can almost feel the director thinking, "Yeah, hold the shot, make him look really mysterious." It works, but it’s a bit much, isn’t it?

Small details that stuck

• The way the extras in the background have nothing to do but sip fake champagne.
• The lighting. Sometimes it’s so dramatic it’s like the characters are lit by a thousand tiny, angry suns.
• Hubert von Meyerinck is in this, and he’s always a treat, even when he’s barely doing anything.

It’s not as gritty or desperate as, say, Vanishing Men, and honestly, that’s fine. It doesn't want to be gritty. It wants to be elegant. It succeeds, mostly by sheer force of will and a lot of nice velvet.

There’s a weird rhythm to the editing that I couldn't quite pin down. It skips over the parts you think are important and lingers on the stuff that doesn't matter at all. Like, we get five minutes of someone adjusting their tie, but the actual heist? Blink and you miss it. Classic.

Don't look for a lesson here. There isn't one. It's just a man who really likes stealing things and wearing nice suits while he does it. Sometimes that’s enough to carry a movie, even if it feels like it’s running out of steam by the third act. I left the screen feeling like I’d just had a very long, very fancy, slightly overpriced dinner.