Or so it says. The 1998 movie "23" centers on paranoia, hacking and government involvement. Even if the references related to the number are interesting, I'm not too fond of the title. They could have come up with something better here. What I was very much fond of though, is August Diehl's performances. He plays young German hacker Karl Koch whose death is as mysterious as his life to this day, a man who starts out as a true revolutionary, but finally becomes just a pawn in the hands of the mighty and powerful. And I was not the only one who was amazed by Diehl's portrayal. He had not acted in movies before, was in his early 20s, not even 23, when this film was made and won right away Best Lead Actor at the German Film Awards that year. This film was the cinematic birth of one of the finest German actors of the last 15 years. Because of his looks, many compare him to the young Christopher Walken and to this day that Diehl slowly approaches 40, you'll have a hard time to find another actor in the German-speaking parts of the world who's that gifted in portraying the abysses of the human soul (you could maybe make a case for Daniel Brühl in "Das weiße Rauschen"). He's starred in many German films since his breakthrough and also, here and there, in Hollywood. His turn in Tarantino's Inglourious Basterds was a real highlight and he showed tremendous screen presence that makes you regret he was in it only for so little time.But Diehl is not the only impressive component: "23" was Hans-Christian Schmid's second film for the big screen and he was only in his early 30s at this point as well. Just like Diehl, Schmid made it to the top of his branch in the last 15 years. The two united for Schmid's film "Distant Lights" a couple years later, but Diehl only had a supporting part there and I truly hope we'll soon get another Schmid/Diehl movie starring Diehl as a meaty lead character. Another actor I love is Burghart Klaußner, but his part here was just too small and insignificant to really make a difference. It's all about Diehl. Story-wise the film is fine, especially in those moments where the fine line between paranoia and actually being followed blurs. Another highlight are the many references to political events this movie includes (like the Palme murder).It's a decent film. I wouldn't say it's one of my favorite German movies or best films I've seen from 1998, but for those interested in the (by now not so) new wave of German Cinema, it's truly worth a watch. Let me close this review by saying another thing I liked was the famous "Ton Steine Scherben"/Rio Reiser song used for the ending credits. It fit the tone of the film nicely and is just such a classic. Sometimes German films struggle with their choices of music, but this was a perfect pick.

23 is an admirable piece of work. The cast is good. So is the script. It basically tells the story of Western Germany in the 1980ies. The main character embodies the hysteria which was at that time rampant in the Federal Republic. It was fashionable to say "I'm afraid" (of nuclear warheads, of nuclear power, of the repeatedly predicted imminent ecological holocaust, of American president Ronald Reagan etc. etc.). An anti Western neurosis was widespread. All this (and the 80ies editions of German weekly Der Spiegel) come to mind while watching 23.The main character, Karl Koch, is a high-strung, intelligent youth without a family (some sort of modern time "Young Werther") who is obsessed with personal computers and a weird science fiction story in which a world wide conspiracy of "Illuminates" is described. The figure 23 is the secret code of the conspirers. Together with a friend Karl Koch decides to somehow "counterbalance" the threat by using their computer skills to deliver information to the Eastern Bloc. (Apparently the story is based on true facts, the young man and his friend did enter computer systems of nuclear power stations, military installations etc. and they did deliver information to an intelligence agency in East Berlin). Their contact asks for more and more specified information and pays them in hard cash. The money is mainly used to finance their cocaine habit. So Karl Koch's life spirals downward, he is guilt ridden and ever more close to acute persecution mania. When the 80ies are over and the Iron Curtain is lifted, it is over with Karl Koch. He pays a heavy price for his obsessions.Tragic as the overall story is, there are quite a few really funny scenes. A fine sense of humor prevails throughout the story. The two idealistic middle class youths gang up with two lowlifes, petty criminals who tell them they can establish contacts with the Eastern Bloc (which they actually do). The two unequal pairs truly are a motley crowd and there are gross misunderstandings as well as a true feeling of brotherhood during the cocaine parties. The most hilarious incident: Karl Koch and his friend have hardware problems. Their small "Atari" aggregate can't cope any more. So they go to a "garage sale" in a nuclear power station and buy a huge old computer. They have it delivered under a tarpaulin by a small truck to their elegant 19th century apartment house in fashionable downtown Frankfurt. Their lowlife friend, also a computer freak, joins them in the street in front of the apartment house. He looks at the truck and its cargo in gaping disbelief and quickly gets into a flying tantrum. You need heavy current for this! he cries out. Well, we'll get heavy current, then, says Karl Koch, slowly loosing his self assuredness. And you need a whole cooling unit if you don't want to fry it all, shrieks the lowlife. The next scene you see heavy rain coming down in the apartment house‘s backyard. The expensive piece of junk stands there like a ghost, in the mud.

I really liked "Lola rennt", but I loved "23". The plot is fascinating, the music is great, the cast is gorgeous. While telling the story, the movie takes you back into the 80s. August Diehl as Karl Koch does an outstanding performance. After watching "23", you'll ask yourself if there is really an international conspiracy going on. Nearly every time you hear or see this number, you'll think "What if it was true?". A must see. 10 points.

What an awesome year the German movie scene has been having! And "23" was part of it... definitely one of the coolest (yet most serious) German movies in the last couple of years. While it still sacrifices some realism for the sake of suspense, it's probably one of the most realistic "hacker movies" ever made. I grew up with the same computing stuff Karl Koch uses in the movie, so I loved it. Yay!