This film combines two very different styles: an atmospheric psycho thriller about the ice-cold hired gun (masterfully played by Frank Gorschin), and the bizarre satire of the Austrian TV serial "Kottan ermittelt". And it does it quite well.
Vienna, the tourism metropolis, is featured very un-touristically, but having lived there some time, it felt realistic to me - as backdrop to both the thriller and the bitter police satire. Somehow like the Moscow in "Nochnoy dozor".
The casting is interesting, as two actors here played Polizeimajor Adolf Kottan in TV - Franz Buchrieser, and Lukas Resetarits (who in this plays the very blond mysterious petty criminal). And the here leading bad lady, Bibiana Zeller, is Kottan's wife in TV... Several references to the serial are made, and some shown. As are subtle references to "The Third Man" - only if you died in AKH, you're certainly dead...
I had laugh-out-loud moments, but was mostly surprised (positively) by how differently this film shows reality, in contrast to usual fare, starting from the setting-up in LA. Memorable images aplenty, good food for thought.
If you want a very different Austrian movie, this is not a bad choice.
