The 'Krimi' genre is mostly made up of films based on stories by novelist Edgar Wallace and many of the best of them were directed by the prolific Alfred Vohrer. The Monster of London City does not benefit from the input of either of these two genre luminaries and is undoubtedly one of the weaker films of its type out there. As mentioned, the film is not based on a novel by Edgar Wallace; but it does boast perhaps the next best thing as the story used for this film was penned by none other than Wallace's son, Bryan Edgar Wallace. Like many films of this type, the story takes influence from the murders committed by Jack the Ripper and we focus on a stage play about the serial killer. Unfortunately, someone has taken it upon themselves to begin copying The Ripper and is murdering girls throughout London. Naturally this means that a harrowing eye is cast upon the play; and the lead actor soon becomes the chief suspect in the investigation carried out by the London police.Naturally the film is set in London; and director Edwin Zbonek does a good job of capturing the fog drenched streets which help to give the film a thick and foreboding atmosphere. It's often the style that I like most about these films; and while this one is not so heavy on the style as some other films in this genre; the style is once again the best thing about it. The cast list does not include any well known actors; although as an ensemble there is nothing wrong with the performances. The story is the biggest let-down, however, as while there are certainly opportunities for a good, strong thriller here; it unfortunately falls somewhat short of the potential. There is very little in the way of suspense and therefore it is easy to get rather bored with the investigation. Naturally the murders are not very grisly; but they're not really memorable either and this also harms the film. The ending is a particular disappointment and can be seen coming a mile away. Overall, this film might be worth a look if you're a big Krimi fan, but I wouldn't bother with it otherwise.

This is a decent if rather low-watt German krimi (a genre which itself was pretty low-watt compared to later Italian giallo genre it later inspired). The protagonist is a seemingly unstable, very method-like actor playing Jack the Ripper in a modern theatrical adaptation. Unfortunately, someone has begun committing a new series of Ripper-like murders and the intense actor becomes a likely suspect--or is he possibly being framed? As a murder mystery this is kind of weak tea, and as others have said the identity of the killer is pretty obvious. Unlike of a lot of the krimis, this movie was not based on a story by prolific English author Edgar Wallace (or even one by his less talented son Bryan Edgar Wallace). It has also had the misfortune of being released recently on a double-disc with another, inferior krimi "Secret of the Red Orchid", but one that stars Christopher Lee, Klaus Kinski, and Marissa Mell. This one in contrast has no major stars in the cast, but is much better made.What works best about this film is the style. Although the German filmmakers were doing their damnedest to capture the look of foggy London (usually using foggy Hamburg as a stand-in) where these films are almost always nominally set, they actually manage to capture some of the old ambiance of early 20th century Germany Expressionism. This interesting movement was destroyed in its native land by Hitler when he drove all the "decadent" Modernist artists out of the country. Many ended up in America where their artistic sensibilities informed 1940's American film noir. These German movies, by accident or design, capture a lot of this old visual style, even if plot-wise they're a lot closer to ridiculous, zany Italian gialli films they inspired than the fatalistic, downbeat film noir or old German horror films. What ALL of these genres have in common though is an emphasis on powerful visual style, which is unusual in the world of cinema, dominated as it has been by the heavily narrative Hollywood style.But I digress. This isn't one of the best krimis, but any decent krimi in my book is certainly worth a look.

A serial killer, modeling his methods and look after Jack the Ripper, stalks prostitutes on the streets of 60's London, lurking the dark allies and street corners as the ever-present fog makes it's presence known. The killer surprises his prey, strangulating the girls into unconsciousness before mutilating them. There's a special vicious strike when he draws his cutting blade diving into the mod hookers before discarding them like garbage(one girl he drives her car into a ditch while another he tosses her carcass into the river). Scotland Yard focus their attention on troubled actor Richard Sand(Hansjörg Felmy), whose past yields a stint with drug addiction and at present is struggling with bad nerves..he portrays Jack the Ripper in a stage production of the killer. Sir George(Fritz Tillmann), an important member of Parliament, is hoping to pass a bill to remove/censor objectionable theatrical productions, often escapes, when his niece Ann(Marianne Koch)goes to bed, at night cautiously..we see that his attire looks like what the copy-cat Ripper killer wears, perhaps a far-too-obvious red-herring. Ann is in love with Richard which annoys George who wishes to close the Ripper production down. Dr. Michael(Dietmar Schönherr), a man in love with Ann having grown up with her after "his father died", is good friends with Richard. All these melodramatic complications only add to poor Richard's troubles as he feels the investigation breathing down his neck and a desire to quit the Ripper character who is slowly wearing him out. The film also has Teddy(Peer Schmidt)and his assistant as this moronic sleuthing team hoping to catch the Ripper so they can become famous making a name for their amateur detective agency, but always come up short of that goal despite being so close. Ann suspects her Uncle after catching him whisking off one night and decides to conduct a little investigation of her own.The mystery, as explained by two other users, is not too hard to figure out which does take away from the overall appeal of this atmospherically made low-budget thriller. I loved how the director shoots the Ripper and his killing methods, not exactly displaying the cutting, but getting the grisly display over by showing how he conducts himself so thoroughly. Still, a good mystery should make the identity of the psycho a bit harder to figure out..and, it isn't too hard in this flick's case. I think it's well crafted, but the screenplay is lacking. I like how the film feels authentic instead of stage-bound..I think that adds to the mood of it. Even if the film may not actually take place in London, Berlin sure looks a lot like the British city and that's certainly a benefit as far as I'm concerned. Director Zbonek likes to shoot action from afar, even when the Ripper does his dirty business, lensing those desolate quiet streets where no one can help those unfortunate females needing assistance where there is none. But, stylish direction can only carry you so far and the story itself isn't anything to write home about..even after we get an explanation of why the killer committed his heinous acts.

The Monster of London City is an unremarkable entry in the krimi cycle, this time based on a novel by Bryan Edgar Wallace, son of the prodigious Edgar Wallace. Set in a London of perpetual night, the titular character is a modern day version of Jack the Ripper, whose murder streak coincides with the successful run of a play about the original Saucy Jack. Hansjorg Felmy is the star of the play, which judging from what we see here is one of the most inept to ever appear in the West End. Felmy is also the target of an MP (Fritz Tillmann) eager to shut down the production for inciting violence, and the police naturally suspect him as well. This review is based on a screening of IS Filmworks video, a faded and blurry black and white print that renders most of the night time scenes almost impossible to watch and incorrectly frames the film with a 1.66:1 aspect ratio, uncomfortably squeezing the original, widescreen Totalscope compositions. It's all we've got for now--the film isn't included in the recently released in Germany Edgar Wallace DVD boxed sets--but there are enough hints here to pique one's interest in seeing a restored print. A decent Martin Bottcher score is an added bonus.