Anatomie 2
Y
Aug 13, 2004
"Anatomie," produced by Sony's German production arm, was a routine medical thriller along the lines of "Coma," which became a boxoffice hit in 2000 in German-speaking territories. Its sequel, "Anatomie 2," also produced by the now-shuttered unit, did not achieve similar success last year. Nevertheless, the film has turned up in the U.S. market for a brief theatrical run.
Where the first film was something of a teen horror film, the follow-up, again from writer-director Stefan Ruzowitzky, is more of an unintentional comedy. Think of "Medical Researchers Gone Wild" featuring Teutonic scientists modeled after Dr. Frankenstein or, better yet, Dr. Mengele.
A young intern (Barnaby Metschurat) at a Berlin hospital falls into a secret society of fanatical researchers lead by a megalomaniac doctor (Herbert Knaup), who ignores ethical constraints and medical board oversight to pursue his goal of winning a Noble Prize for the development of artificial muscles.
"Rules are for the weak!" their fuhrer thunders. Indeed. Peter Sellers would have been ideal for the role.
Once our hero has signed a secret loyalty oath in blood -- yes, in blood -- he, too, has the privilege of taking self-concocted drugs including one that leads to an evening of supercharged sex with the lone female in the group (Heike Makatsch). This is the film's bad girl, a direct contrast to the movie's good girl, a shy Filipino nurse (Rosie Alvarez), who lets no man into her bedroom.
Another privilege for the new elite consists of acting as a guinea pig for Herr Doktor's many rubbery-looking artificial muscles. But when members of the secret society keep committing suicide, our hero grows suspicious. Let's see, six researchers, two kill themselves -- yes, something definitely is not right here.
Predictable if not risible plot developments lead to doctors chasing each other around the hospital, leaping over patients on gurneys and knocking over the elderly, a sequence Mel Brooks could not have improved upon. One gloriously funny moment has the hero's prosthetic muscle pop out of his calf like that rubbery creature rupturing John Hurt's tummy in "Alien."
Upcoming international star Franka Potente, who starred in the first film, puts in a token appearance in this one. A wise career move, it turns out.
Where the first film was something of a teen horror film, the follow-up, again from writer-director Stefan Ruzowitzky, is more of an unintentional comedy. Think of "Medical Researchers Gone Wild" featuring Teutonic scientists modeled after Dr. Frankenstein or, better yet, Dr. Mengele.
A young intern (Barnaby Metschurat) at a Berlin hospital falls into a secret society of fanatical researchers lead by a megalomaniac doctor (Herbert Knaup), who ignores ethical constraints and medical board oversight to pursue his goal of winning a Noble Prize for the development of artificial muscles.
"Rules are for the weak!" their fuhrer thunders. Indeed. Peter Sellers would have been ideal for the role.
Once our hero has signed a secret loyalty oath in blood -- yes, in blood -- he, too, has the privilege of taking self-concocted drugs including one that leads to an evening of supercharged sex with the lone female in the group (Heike Makatsch). This is the film's bad girl, a direct contrast to the movie's good girl, a shy Filipino nurse (Rosie Alvarez), who lets no man into her bedroom.
Another privilege for the new elite consists of acting as a guinea pig for Herr Doktor's many rubbery-looking artificial muscles. But when members of the secret society keep committing suicide, our hero grows suspicious. Let's see, six researchers, two kill themselves -- yes, something definitely is not right here.
Predictable if not risible plot developments lead to doctors chasing each other around the hospital, leaping over patients on gurneys and knocking over the elderly, a sequence Mel Brooks could not have improved upon. One gloriously funny moment has the hero's prosthetic muscle pop out of his calf like that rubbery creature rupturing John Hurt's tummy in "Alien."
Upcoming international star Franka Potente, who starred in the first film, puts in a token appearance in this one. A wise career move, it turns out.
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