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GERMAN | 157 MINUTES | KENDALL SQUARE If it weren’t based on actual events, German director Roland Suso Richter’s taut drama would weigh in as another implausible action flick. East German swim champ Harry Melchior (Heino Ferch, a Teutonic Bruce Willis) narrowly escapes before the August 1961 construction of the Berlin Wall. Unable to take his sister (Alexandra Maria Lara), whom he loves to the point of creepiness, he lends his brawn to an incredible plot to construct an underground passageway for relatives and friends left behind. His co-conspirators are an archetypal, bland bunch save for a gutsy gamine (Nicolette Krebitz) who’s digging more than dirt — she’s digging Harry. Originally shot for German TV (and it looks it) in 2001, this overlong thriller shovels up much suspense and subterfuge, mostly in a brisk climax involving disguises, passed notes, and a baby carriage. Too bad the intrigue smothers the emotion; in the end, these heroes feel as hollow as their hole.
BY ALICIA POTTER
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