"One of the most enduring European ethnic stereotypes deprives Germans of any sense of humour. The German film industry, or rather the way it is perceived outside German borders, conforms to that stereotype. Best-known film makers of Germany, classic and modern alike, are not those whose films are likely to leave viewers with a smile on their faces. As a result, occasions when non-German audiences can watch German comedies are rather rare. One of those occasions came with Nur aus Liebe (also known as Dangerous Dowry), a 1996 action comedy written and directed by Denis Satin.
The protagonist of the film is Ella (played by Katja Riemann), a struggling Berlin artist who is forced to work as a taxi driver to make ends meet. A chance encounter with Aleksej (played by Hannes Jaenicke), a young Russian businessman, leads to an interesting offer. Aleksej needs German citizenship so he offers 100,000 DM to Ella in exchange for a quick sham marriage. Ella agrees, unaware that Aleksej's business involves smuggling nuclear material from the former Soviet Union and that Jewgenij (played by Heinz Hoenig), her future brother-in-law, happens to be the boss of the most dangerous Russian mob organisation. Ella does not know that Aleksej stole millions of DMs from Jewgenij's coffers and that she will have to deal with Jewgenij's goons. Carmen (played by Daniela Lukowitz), Ella's thoughtless roommate, makes things even harder for Ella.
Dangerous Dowry is not going to cause laugh riots and its ending shows that this film was made with significantly less budget than films of the same type. However, director Denis Satin knows how to compensate for those flaws with a few clever action scenes and some interesting observations on the state of affairs in post-Cold War Germany and Eastern Europe. But the best assets of this film are the comic talents of Katja Riemann, which, combined with the looks of Daniela Lukowitz (best known for her role of Aliyah in Children of Dune mini-series), make Dangerous Dowry a very entertaining experience for all viewers willing to think beyond stereotypes."
RATING: 5/10 (++)
(Note: The text in its original form was posted in Usenet newsgroup rec.arts.films.reviews on February 19th 2004)
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