Anatomy (2000)

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This German film puts a European twist on all those "Scream"-type horror films we had been sitting through, and succeeds. This review is full of spoilers.

Franka Potente from "Run Lola Run" and "The Bourne Identity" is Paula, a very smart medical school student who is accepted to an exclusive school in Heidelberg. She meets party girl Gretchen (Anna Loos), and the two become roommates. On the train trip there, Paula revives a young man named David (Arndt Schwering-Sohnrey), who has a heart condition. He is on his way to Heidelberg to seek treatment for his rare illness. Right away, Gretchen hooks up with studly Hein (Benno Furmann) while Paula flirts with the weird Caspar (Sebastian Blomberg). The film has already shown us that the medical school is using live subjects for its autopsies, and are putting the victims in a specimen museum when they are done.

The gore flows freely here, and there is a lot of terrific suspense. One great scene involves a character trying to get rid of a body while people try to get into a blocked morgue room. The film has a great expensive look, and the editing (by Ueli Christen) and musical score (featuring some Euro-pop songs, instrumentals by Marius Ruhland) are first rate. The sterile hospital set is cold and creepy. I could only watch the dubbed version, from German to English, but even that is awesome. Franka Potente is great, holding the film in her grasp. She is believable and watchable. Anna Loos is a riot as Gretchen, watch her scene in the restaurant as she sucks down oysters while talking medical school "shop." Benno Furmann is introduced as just a hunk, but he is able to turn the tables on the audience, giving us a character that we never suspected from his opening scenes. Of course, the rest of the world seems to have been influenced by the junk coming out of Hollywood, and this film is no different. We do have a predictable finale, and a villain who comes back to life when thought dead. Paula believes the sect is definitely killing people, but assumes a good friend- who we see murdered- really left for a long weekend when she should know better. The local police, of course, do not believe her. These are small flaws, but they detract.

"Anatomy" is gory, and the squeamish should turn to something else. This is brazenly over-the-top, but does not resort to the same smugness that permeates so many American horror films. Paula is a great heroine, not needing anyone to save her from dangerous situations. Open up this "Anatomy" and dig in. Followed by a sequel, also known as "Anatomie."

Stats:
(2000) 103 min. (* * * *) out of five stars
-Directed by Stefan Ruzowitzky
-Written by Stefan Ruzowitzky, Peter Engelmann
-Cast: Franka Potente, Anna Loos, Arndt Schwering-Sohnrey, Benno Furmann, Sebastian Blomberg, Holger Speckhahn, Traugott Buhre, Oliver Wnuk, Andreas Guenther, Antonia Cacilia Holfelder, Rudiger Vogler, Barbara M. Ahren
(R)