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What to Do in Case of Fire?

What to do in case of fire? (Was tun, wenn’s brennt?)

Movie · 2001 · 15 people

Gregor Schnitzler directed the German film What to Do in Case of Fire?, whose original title is Was tun, wenn's brennt?. Mixing comedy, action and drama over about 101 minutes, it premiered at the Kinofest Lünen festival in November 2001. It reached cinemas in Germany and Switzerland on 31 January 2002 and in Austria on 1 February 2002, and drew mixed reviews. German action star Til Schweiger leads the cast.

The film tells the humorous story of six former anarchists who lived like squatters in an abandoned building in 1980s Berlin. At the end of the decade everyone but Tim and Hotte goes their own way; those two stay true to their ideals and keep up the fight. In 2000, with Berlin the new capital of Germany, an incident brings the group back together. Til Schweiger plays Tim and Martin Feifel plays Hotte, with Sebastian Blomberg (Maik), Nadja Uhl (Nele), Matthias Matschke (Robert), Doris Schretzmayer (Flo), Klaus Löwitsch (Manowsky), Devid Striesow (Henkel) and Barbara Philipp (Pritt). The Turkish actor Aykut Kayacık plays Bülent.

Stefan Dähnert and Anne Wild wrote the screenplay, and the production company was Claussen + Wöbke. Stephan Zacharias composed the music and Andreas Berger was the cinematographer.

DirectorGregor Schnitzler

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Cast

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Aykut Kayacık Aykut Kayacık Actor · 63 years old Til Schweiger Sebastian Blomberg Martin Feifel Nadja Uhl Matthias Matschke Klaus Löwitsch Devid Striesow Barbara Philipp Doris Schretzmayer Hubert Mulzer Paula Paul Gotthard Lange Ralph Misske Dieter Dost

Through different eyes

Cinephile Looks at script, editing and directing choices; keeps a distance from formula films.

Gregor Schnitzler tries to fit comedy, action and drama into one film, and the real test is whether that mix holds its balance. The time jump from the 1980s squat to Berlin as the new capital is a smart structural device: it lays bare the distance between the characters' old ideals and the lives they lead now. But carrying an ensemble of six with equal weight is hard, and some of them are sketched in a line or two. The mixed critical response is easy to understand, as the tone wavers between humour and melancholy. Still, the script takes the reckoning between youthful idealism and middle age seriously.

History & Society Lens Asks about the period, the social background and what the work reflects.

The film's most interesting move is to read Berlin's transformation through the lives of a group of former anarchists. Where does the counterculture of 1980s squats fit in a city that has become the capital and is changing fast? Tim and Hotte staying loyal to their ideals while the others go their own way sets side by side the different ways one generation came to terms with the system. Because it is told with humour, it never turns heavy, yet urban change and the generation gap are felt throughout. For Turkish viewers, Aykut Kayacık in the cast also opens a small window onto Berlin's multicultural fabric.

Action & Thriller Fan Puts pace, tension and set pieces first; little patience for slow drama.

Til Schweiger is on the poster and action is listed among the genres, but don't go in expecting a pure action film. The real weight is on old friends reuniting and settling old scores. The livelier moments add colour to the comedy, but the pace sags during the drama's longer talks. Fun if you like humour and tension together, a bit slow if you want adrenaline.

These are not reader reviews: they are short editorial takes written from different viewer perspectives with AI assistance. Reader reviews are below.

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