LouHomey From my favorite movies..

Ogosmith Each character in this movie — down to the smallest one — is an individual rather than a type, prone to spontaneous changes of mood and sometimes amusing outbursts of pettiness or ill humor.

Payno I think this is a new genre that they're all sort of working their way through it and haven't got all the kinks worked out yet but it's a genre that works for me.

Paynbob It’s fine. It's literally the definition of a fine movie. You’ve seen it before, you know every beat and outcome before the characters even do. Only question is how much escapism you’re looking for.

Warlock21 I think this is a great movie. It's focus is on the *person* Karl Koch, how he became the character he was in the end, and definitely not another "Hacker"-like movie or a story about the so-called "KGB-Hack" and how his group was finally busted. What makes this movie different from e.g. X-Files is that it is realistic; everyone can easily reconstruct how Karl Koch came to believe in the conspiracy-theories based on the "Illuminatus"-books - A believe that was increasingly strengthened by his ever increasing cocaine addiction. This is also a movie about friendship, false friends, and how friendship and trust are sacrificed to money and addiction.

manuel-pestalozzi 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.

floyd-27 Conspiracy theorist alert! All conspiracy theorists need to see this movie. I wont mislead you all, it's not a conspiracy movie. It's a German cinematic variation of "The Falcon and the Snowman", based on actual events that took place in West Germany during the mid 80's.It involves a young and rebellious radical, who happens to have a healthy appetite for conspiracy theories. Him and his good mate then turn to computer hacking as a means of fighting the war against nuclear power through out Europe.As they get more involved people start offering them money to hack organisations for information (Including the KGB).... This is when things start becoming a bit awry!Very thought provoking stuff, highly recommended!!!

zero-23 For many viewers this film was spoilt by advertising, that showed a movie full of spying, hacking and big mysteries.Yes. Big mysteries.Left is one. How does a pretty smart guy lose contact to the "Reality", whatever that is meant? It is good, that this movie only had a low budget, that makes it possible to recognize the smallest change in acting.Simple plot, overwhelming acting, financial flop, just a terrific film.Thumbs up and 10 points