Der Meisterdieb (2010)

An old man sits with his wife in front of their poor house. They have just enough to get by. A magnificently dressed gentleman, Robert the master thief, rides up. Asked what they can do for him, he asks for a simple potato dish and then reveals that he is their son, who ran away a long time ago. He says he made his fortune by stealing. He has returned because his wife is pregnant. Now he wants to face the Count, hoping for leniency because he is the Count’s godson. The Count welcomes the rich man joyfully, but becomes furious when Robert reveals that his wealth is stolen goods and that he himself is the master thief Robert, the Count’s godchild. Exasperated by his daughter, the Count sets Robert three tasks: He must steal the Count’s guarded horse from the stable at night. He must steal the Count’s bedsheet in the middle of the night and take his wife’s wedding ring. He must steal the priest and the sexton from the church. If Robert succeeds at these seemingly impossible tasks, the Count will give him his freedom, respect, and recognition; otherwise, he will die. Using cunning and trickery—and to the Count’s astonished amusement—Robert completes all three tasks. Disguised as an old woman, he gives the horse’s guards a drug that knocks them out, enabling him to steal the horse despite the Count’s security measures, including a guard sitting on the horse. To complete the second task, he deceives the Count, who shoots at a scarecrow the master thief holds up at the bedroom window, and the Count’s wife: Robert impersonates the Count. By means of a trick, he convinces the priest and the sexton that they will go to Heaven if they climb into his sack. They climb inside, believing they are now in Heaven, but he takes them to the Count’s estate. The Count grants Robert his freedom and pays him his respects.