Knife in the Head

★★★★★

Original title: Messer im Kopf

1978 · 1 h 53 min

Directed by Reinhard Hauff · Germany · New German Cinema

Drama

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Cast

Bruno Ganz Angela Winkler Hans Christian Blech

Credits

Written by: Peter Schneider

Plot

After a police raid on a left-wing youth centre in West Germany, Dr Hoffmann, a biochemist who happens to be there, is shot in the head. He survives, but has lost his memory and speech and must relearn everything, while the police and a group of activists use his case for their own purposes. Reinhard Hauff's 1978 film, with Bruno Ganz, is a political thriller about state power.

Sinekatalog’s take

Reinhard Hauff's thriller follows a scientist shot in the head during a police raid and forced to relearn everything while the authorities and activists spin the story. Bruno Ganz is outstanding in a tense, political and disturbing drama.Sinekatalog’s own editorial review – not a user or critic quote.

Ratings

IMDb: 7.0 / 10 (780 votes)
IMDb rating and vote count from the IMDb ratings dataset (October 2026). Scores change over time.

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