"Savage Love" is (despite the title) a German German-language live action movie from 2012, so this one has its 5th anniversary this year. The writer and director is Olaf Ittenbach and he has made horror films here in Germany for over 25 years already, so you can certainly call him an established filmmaker. But his long career is also evidence that you do not need to be a particularly gifted artist to find work in the industry for decades. The only cast member I knew in this 85-minute film here is Dustin Semmelrogge and yes he is the son of Martin Semmelrogge ("Das Boot"). And while I don't think his dad is the most talented actor at all, Dustin even lacks talent completely and he also lacks the charisma/recognition value from his father. Says a lot if the highlights of your career are becoming last in the German Version of "I am a Celebrity" jungle show and the lead role in an Olaf Ittenbach film. His co-lead here is Frenchman Philippe Jacq, who is certainly better than Semmelrogge, but this does not require a lot and does not mean he is a god actor. Then again, can you really blame the actors for not shining in a garbage movie with a garbage script like this one here? Perhaps not or only to a small extent, but it's almost impossible to elevate the material, let alone make it work. The weakest moments of the entire film were probably the girl(s) with the devilish voice. Man that was embarrassing. I am pretty glad this film ended before the 90-minute mark and honestly I'd have preferred to end it way earlier already. I thought it was a mess and this includes basically all components of this production. Only see it if you (for whatever reason) really love Ittenbach's other work. Major thumbs-down.
Review of Savage Love
