Der Fall

1972 • Director: Kurt Früh
Drama • Unrated • 102 minutes
Praesens-Film AG • Black and White  Schweizerdeutsch (with German subtitles)
Starring Walo Lüönd, Annemarie Düringer

It's a Swiss detective story in film noir style with
a tip of the Alpine hat to German Expressionism.
A disgraced former police officer (Lüönd), now a private investigator, tries to find a lost promiscuous
girl (Katrin Buschor) even as his assistant (Düringer)
tries to keep him grounded. Rating: B+

The Bridesmaid

2004 • Director: Claude Chabrol
Drama • Unrated • 111 minutes
Alicéléo / First Run Features
Color • Language: French (English subtitles)
Starring Benoît Magimel, Laura Smet

Chabrol enjoys depicting relationships that appear simple and then suddenly exploding them. In The Bridesmaid, Philippe (Magimel) meets Senta (Smet) and sparks fly. But Senta's sullen intransigence hints at something sinister beneath the surface and Philippe makes the mistake of thinking he has her all figured out. Rating: B+

Europa

1991 • Director: Lars von Trier
Drama • Rated PG • 113 minutes
Canal+ España/Nordisk Film Biografdistribution
Color/B&W • Language: German and English
Starring Jean-Marc Barr, Barbara Sukowa

Von Trier is a master of atmosphere, and his Europa is no exception. An American who avoided the war now arrives to work as a train conductor. He begins to see the seamy side of the occupation and loses his impartiality. It's film noir evocative of an earlier era,  but Europa also carries deliciously subtle humor.   
Rating: B+

Count Five and Die

1958 • Director: Victor Vicas
Drama • Unrated • 92 minutes
Zonic Productions / Twentieth Century Fox
Black and White  • Language: English
Starring Jeffrey Hunter, Annemarie Düringer

In this British spy movie the Allies are trying to get the Germans to believe D-Day will be in Holland.
Will they fall for it? There's espionage and counter-espionage and it builds up a good head of steam,
but it's capped with a stock ending. This one's
dying for a remake. Rating: B