And so, for better or for worse, they have to put up with being catapulted into England in 1922 and there dealing with one of the most clichéd of all English crime thriller questions: Who killed the butler?
Because the film does not show the crime game in reality, in which all those involved are sitting at the dining table in Kalli’s apartment and drinking, but rather it allows characters and viewers to really immerse themselves in the acted scenario of Lady Mona Bantam’s English manor house, decorated for Christmas ( excellently entertaining: Sunnyi Melles).
Leitmayr becomes Inspector Francis Lightmyer, Batic becomes Constable Ivor Partridge – an unusual power imbalance that Batic (aka Partridge) does not like at all. They now have to find out why the butler is lying dead on the oriental carpet in front of the Christmas tree, uncovering the raunchy past of the housemaid and an even more scandalous one of the lady of the house.
This is – especially because of the contrast to the dreary Munich reality – quite entertaining and still spangs, even if the actual drama takes place outside of the murder investigation.
Because Leitmayr and Batic, the dream duo of Sunday crime novels for more than 30 years, have in their 90th case a crisis, an existential one even. Leitmayr found out in a roundabout way that Batic had inquired about a possible early retirement. Leitmayr without Batic? A truly unimaginable scenario.
Leitmayr is not only angry that his long-time colleague hasn’t said anything to him, but deeply hurt and sad, although of course he would be the last to admit it. Kalli also arranged the dinner because he wanted to reconcile his two bosses. Whether this will succeed is one of the crucial questions in this curious and entertaining English-Bavarian “crime scene”.
