A naked corpse is discovered floating in the harbor of Duisburg. Inspector Schimanski (Götz George) and Inspector Thanner (Eberhard Feik) investigate and discover that the dead man was a member of the infamous East-German Intelligence Agency Stasi. Since East-Germany is on the verge of crumbling and has begun to open up to the former "enemies" in the West, the duo from Duisburg are aided by their counterparts from Berlin, Fuchs (Peter Borgelt) and Grawe (Andreas Schmidt-Schaller). Travelling back and forth in the yet divided country, the unlikely team discover a ring of art-smugglers run by former secret agents and a plot so smuggle Vietnamese girls from East-Germany, in order to turn them into prostitutes.
"Unter Brüdern" (eng: "Among Brothers") was not only the first 'crossover' in the history of German TV, but couldn't have been more fitting or come at a better time. The show was aired a mere three weeks after German reunification and would mark on of the last production of East-German TV-channel DFF1. "Polizeiruf 110" was to East-Germans, what "Tatort" was to the West, so it was just suitable, that they would even merge the title-melodies of both shows in the opening. Since everybody in the East already knew that their ship had sailed and that reunification was at the doorstep, "Unter Brüdern" did, what a year prior would have been unthinkable. For one, it shows policemen from the separate states traveling across the border (though it was not uncommon for relatives the cross back and forth and East-Germans would often have (illegal) access to West-German TV-program). More so, this was no stiff affair but allowed but some humorous and even critical moments. The East-German policeman get to wonder about the liberties of the west when traveling to Duisburg, while Thanner and Schimanski, disguised as rich art-dealers, get to enjoy the decadent luxury in Berlin, which was prior reserved for party-members and foreign dignitaries. Needless to say, that this episode was a huge success on both sides, having been watched by a whopping 44 percent of all Germans. And needless to say also, in the euphoria of reunification, that film ended the only way it could have: Schimanski, Thanner, Fuchs and Grawe getting drunk in unison.
Or the concept and sentimental value alone this episode deserves a 7/10
"Unter Brüdern" (eng: "Among Brothers") was not only the first 'crossover' in the history of German TV, but couldn't have been more fitting or come at a better time. The show was aired a mere three weeks after German reunification and would mark on of the last production of East-German TV-channel DFF1. "Polizeiruf 110" was to East-Germans, what "Tatort" was to the West, so it was just suitable, that they would even merge the title-melodies of both shows in the opening. Since everybody in the East already knew that their ship had sailed and that reunification was at the doorstep, "Unter Brüdern" did, what a year prior would have been unthinkable. For one, it shows policemen from the separate states traveling across the border (though it was not uncommon for relatives the cross back and forth and East-Germans would often have (illegal) access to West-German TV-program). More so, this was no stiff affair but allowed but some humorous and even critical moments. The East-German policeman get to wonder about the liberties of the west when traveling to Duisburg, while Thanner and Schimanski, disguised as rich art-dealers, get to enjoy the decadent luxury in Berlin, which was prior reserved for party-members and foreign dignitaries. Needless to say, that this episode was a huge success on both sides, having been watched by a whopping 44 percent of all Germans. And needless to say also, in the euphoria of reunification, that film ended the only way it could have: Schimanski, Thanner, Fuchs and Grawe getting drunk in unison.
Or the concept and sentimental value alone this episode deserves a 7/10
