"Die Informantin - Der Fall Lissabon" is a German television film from April 2019, which means this one is not even a year old and this is the second film from the "Die Informantin" franchise. It is still too early to say if more will follow. I guess if the ratings are good, then probably yes, but in my opinion this second film is already (at least) one too many. The writer and director here is Isabel Kleefeld and it is kinda fitting that she is a female because so is the protagonist. You see actress Aylin Tezel on the photo here on imdb. Well, I believe there are worse actresses here in Germany, but that is mostly because there are really bad actress who do not deserve to be famous at all and not because Tezel is a good actress. I would say if anything about her is lead actress material, then her looks, but her range and versatility not really in my opinion. Admittedly, there are also other struggles linked to this film that are way worse than her performance and with that I mostly mean the screenplay and I would say that sometimes these 1.5 hours are so bad that probably no actress could have made it work. There are okay moments nonetheless, but here the equivalent to what I previously wrote is also true, namely that these scenes are only okay compared to the really bad and really unrealistic moments. One okay sequence would be the shootout at the evil guys' headquarter at the very end. Another okay moment is the protagonist's phone conversation between the main character and her sister also in the second half. So yes the second half was better. But this also has its lowlights, such as Borsody's comment on how she is going to quit or really how all of a sudden the initial main antagonist is not the bad guy anymore, but there are other unknown forces that we see hidden behind black masks. It just feels rushed and really unlikely.
It's nothing new though. Every time Germany goes for crime thrillers, you should not expect too much because in 90% of the cases, the outcome is not good. And that is still a very nice way to express this deficite in quality to be honest. In other ords, most of the time, they really do suck a lot. They try to be edgy, here also through nudity on one occasion when we see Tezel's character topless and later on when we see her in bed in her role as a decoy as she is growing closer to the villain's son. And she watches into the camera knowing very well that Duken's character is watching. And there is something sexual between these two as well, so it was in a way to make him jealous. Oh well, it all rang false. In general, there was hardly one scene when I felt that I was watching actual people and events and not a (poorly-written) movie. It already starts pretty weak when we have von Borsody's character talk to Duken's in the car about their connection and how divorce is indirectly a part of it. Just to make it more "interesting" I suppose everybody must have a connection with everybody here. Cringeworthy. Even the better moments like those I already mentioned or also the very final scene in jail felt entertaining for the sake of it and not like quality writing. The whole idea of von Borsody's character pressuring Tezel's into doing the job (and the two still not being true antagonists) was ridiculously weak. By the way, you are not getting beautiful cinematography of Lisbon here either, so the title is also a bit of a fraud. Anything in here that isn't make-believe? Those scenes at the football court by the way with the protagonist and her target getting closer were also tough to stomach in terms of realism. I could mention probably a dozen scenes and moments that also sucked, but I shall leave it at that I guess. I feel kinda sorry for people who actually perceive garbage films like this as strong and encouraging movies for females, be it because of the main character or the woman in charge of direction and script. This film is garbage, nothing more and nothing less. I have not seen the first film and honestly after seeing this one here, I have zero intention to do so anytime soon. My suggestion or, actually, my command is that you stay far far away from this movie. Another genre failure for Germany here. At least Duken is on the safe side with his character's fate at the end here that he does not have to show up again for this rock bottom franchise. Then again, the ending implies, there will probably not be a third film, which would be 100% the right decision, even if it could impossibly get worse than this one we have here. What a disappointment. If you still care about the subject, go watch Matt Damon's "The Informant!" instead. Even if you like Tezel, it's absolutely not worth it. Also she should have objected to her character carrying the first name she does. This role/film/series may be linked more closely and defining to/for her career than she should want it to be the case. And the worst thing here is probably that the film even takes itself seriously while lacking any creative ability that gives them the right to do so.
It's nothing new though. Every time Germany goes for crime thrillers, you should not expect too much because in 90% of the cases, the outcome is not good. And that is still a very nice way to express this deficite in quality to be honest. In other ords, most of the time, they really do suck a lot. They try to be edgy, here also through nudity on one occasion when we see Tezel's character topless and later on when we see her in bed in her role as a decoy as she is growing closer to the villain's son. And she watches into the camera knowing very well that Duken's character is watching. And there is something sexual between these two as well, so it was in a way to make him jealous. Oh well, it all rang false. In general, there was hardly one scene when I felt that I was watching actual people and events and not a (poorly-written) movie. It already starts pretty weak when we have von Borsody's character talk to Duken's in the car about their connection and how divorce is indirectly a part of it. Just to make it more "interesting" I suppose everybody must have a connection with everybody here. Cringeworthy. Even the better moments like those I already mentioned or also the very final scene in jail felt entertaining for the sake of it and not like quality writing. The whole idea of von Borsody's character pressuring Tezel's into doing the job (and the two still not being true antagonists) was ridiculously weak. By the way, you are not getting beautiful cinematography of Lisbon here either, so the title is also a bit of a fraud. Anything in here that isn't make-believe? Those scenes at the football court by the way with the protagonist and her target getting closer were also tough to stomach in terms of realism. I could mention probably a dozen scenes and moments that also sucked, but I shall leave it at that I guess. I feel kinda sorry for people who actually perceive garbage films like this as strong and encouraging movies for females, be it because of the main character or the woman in charge of direction and script. This film is garbage, nothing more and nothing less. I have not seen the first film and honestly after seeing this one here, I have zero intention to do so anytime soon. My suggestion or, actually, my command is that you stay far far away from this movie. Another genre failure for Germany here. At least Duken is on the safe side with his character's fate at the end here that he does not have to show up again for this rock bottom franchise. Then again, the ending implies, there will probably not be a third film, which would be 100% the right decision, even if it could impossibly get worse than this one we have here. What a disappointment. If you still care about the subject, go watch Matt Damon's "The Informant!" instead. Even if you like Tezel, it's absolutely not worth it. Also she should have objected to her character carrying the first name she does. This role/film/series may be linked more closely and defining to/for her career than she should want it to be the case. And the worst thing here is probably that the film even takes itself seriously while lacking any creative ability that gives them the right to do so.
