Most heist thriller movies are accompanied by an all-star ensemble cast, a fast-paced, tongue-in-cheek tone, and hyper-stylized direction from a Hollywood filmmaker. Look no further than the Oceans movies, which put humor before plot, and Brad Pitt eating before character development. There’s nothing wrong with these types of movies, but they resemble ensemble comedies more than heist crime thrillers. That’s what makes German auteur Thomas Arslan’s latest feature, Scorched Earth (Verbrannte Erde in German) such a refreshing entry in this subgenre. It’s a quiet, pared-back tone and focuses on the plot and characters, making it a fairly straightforward but excellently executed crime movie. While I am one of the many, many cinemagoers who enjoy the large stakes and action of Tom Cruise pictures and popcorn filmmaking, Scorched Earth is a reminder that when you get all the basics pitch-perfect, you don’t need a large budget, elaborate stunts, or a Hollywood A-lister to make an exciting movie.

What Is ‘Scorched Earth’ About?
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Scorched Earth is a sequel to Arslan’s 2010 movie, In the Shadows. For those thinking they have homework to do before seeing Arslan’s latest, I didn’t and was able to follow just fine. Trojan (Mišel Matičević) is a man of many trades, but they all relate to crime. He’s a lone wolf who spends his time away from work simply sitting in cafés, watching others’ lives go by. He returns to Berlin after a lengthy period away and finds that most of his old comrades have moved on and set up normal lives for themselves. In need of some money, he calls up an old friend, Rebecca (Marie-Lou Sellem), who puts him on a robbery of a Caspar David Friedrich painting, worth over a million euros. Joining him on the job are his old friend and co-worker Luca (Tim Seyf), getaway driver Diana (Marie Leuenberger), and computer whizz Chris (Bilge Bingül). It appears to be a fairly straightforward job, but when the clients want the painting without paying up, it sets in motion a twisty string of events, causing more destruction and death than anyone could’ve ever anticipated.

‘Scorched Earth’ Is a Quiet but Exciting Action Movie
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Again, Scorched Earth is nothing like the Hollywood heist thrillers we’re accustomed to. We don’t get the flash of everyone’s names as they fit neatly into their position and chosen expertise. Yes, the four in the group all serve different roles, but they very much resemble exactly what a real-life criminal would be like — serious, discreet, and covert. They all dress in black, speak in low tones, and attract no attention to themselves. This applies to Trojan more than anyone else. The movie’s first scenes set up a lonely, transient life for our protagonist, moving from one miserable hotel to the next, his entire life easily fitting into a duffle bag. Scorched Earth remedies Hollywood’s glorification of a life of crime, and is a surprisingly tender look at loneliness. Trojan may be a master in stealing high-value objects, but Arslan frames him as much of a tragic hero as he is an action star.

‘Scorched Earth’s Plot Brings Plenty of Twists and Turns
The Match Factory

But if you’ve come for a twisty, exciting plot, have no fear, because Scorched Earth delivers on that front too. While most of the cast are pared-back, everyday folk who happen to be entrenched in a high-stakes heist, our primary villain is able to bring all the dramatics needed to give the movie some stakes. Victor is a formidable villain whose relentless greed and devotion to his boss pump the movie with just the right amount of adrenaline while still maintaining a grounded tone. Arslan makes the audience wait for the action sequences, and while short, he makes the most of it. Letting sequences go on with barely any movement and sometimes completely silent, the quick flash of fast-paced action sends a lightning bolt through the audience, very much proving the case for quality over quantity. The car chase scenes put you right there in the backseat, and the low, inoffensive score maintains a consistent sense of dread right to the bitter end.

Mišel Matičević Leads a Flawless Cast

Arslan’s realist tone and laser-focused script are elevated by a phenomenal cast. Mišel Matičević first played this role 12 years ago, and even if you haven’t seen In the Shadows, it shows. Matičević gives a deeply lived-in performance as a man reckoning with the consequences of living a solitary life. Matičević makes Trojan a formidable force as he moves like an apex predator, stalking his prey and not showing his teeth until the very last second. And even though he’s a tough crook who can barely crack a smile, when you see the shots of him sitting alone in restaurants with nothing to do but hold his cup of coffee, you want nothing more than to see him finally settle down and forge a life of connection.

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While the pared-back direction and style is a welcome departure, the movie would’ve easily felt stale if it weren’t for Fehling’s Victor. He’s the much-needed source of theatrics; for those who may feel unengaged by the quiet tone, it just takes one second of Fehling’s presence to pull you back in. The lack of backstory makes it a simple but effective sparring between two men on the same criminal coin. There’s no murdered wife or friends-to-enemies plotline — simply a man who went back on his word and must be stopped before he causes any more devastation. Leuenberger’s Diana, much like our main character, oscillates between a pro driver who only has eyes for the road (and money), and a criminal loner who may just need a friend to chat with too. Seyfi’s Luca is an affecting presence as he represents the collateral of criminal life, and how easily one can become corrupted when their (or their loved ones’) life is on the line.

Scorched Earth takes a genre of film that has become a breeding ground for maximalist sensibilities and style over substance, and reminds audiences that action and crime movies aren’t all just stunts and Tom Cruise. A straightforward but enthralling plot with Arslan’s restrained but gripping atmosphere and a flawless cast is all you need to deliver a moody, quiet heist thriller — and it’s proof that you don’t need extravagant sequences of Tom Cruise driving off a mountain to have you hooked until the very end.

Scorched Earth premiered at 2024’s Subtitle Film Festival.

This German crime thriller executes all the basics of a great action movie while doing something completely different to modern Hollywood movies of the same genre.ProsThe movie’s pace starts slow but gains momentum as the story reveals itself to be unpredictable.Mi?el Mati?evi? makes our protaongist so much more than a gruff criminal, making him a lonely, complex hero we root for.The infrequent but effective action scenes have the perfect build up, with the movie’s more quiet approach making these scenes stand out even more. ConsThe pace may be too slow for some audiences.The movie isn’t a big-budget spectacle with tons of action, which may turn off certain viewers.

Release Date July 18, 2024 Director Thomas Arslan Cast Mišel Matičević , Marie Leuenberger , Alexander Fehling , Bilge Bingul , Leonard Proxauf , Katrin Röver , Tamer Yiğit Runtime 101 minutes Producers Anton Kaiser