Geliebte Gegner (1998)

The little pickpocket Max steals a silver briefcase from a locker at the airport. What he doesn’t know is that he has jeopardized an important deal for underworld boss Kutas Jakesch. The case contains 20 million in small bills, paid by Russian businessman Michail Krimow in exchange for design plans for a three-liter car. Jakesch is supposed to deliver the plans, which he is to obtain from an enigmatic businessman. Max knows Jakesch is not someone to mess with, and that he will die whether or not he returns the case to him. His last hope is help from the experienced con man Paul—his own father. Paul is not pleased: he has been planning for a long time to settle a score with Jakesch, who once shot his best friend, Fritz. It turns out that Paul is the enigmatic businessman who offered Jakesch the plans. Paul has no plans, but wants to take the 20 million from Jakesch, since money is his only weakness. With his son, the petty criminal Oskar, driver Erich, and bar owner Nelly, Paul sets out to bring Jakesch down. Max is presented to Jakesch as a turncoat caught between him and the businessman. That businessman, in turn, is connected to an employee of the Austrian Motor Works, who is to hand over the plans to him as an industrial spy and has already given him some of the documents as a precaution. During a staged money transfer, Jakesch’s man Heinz first takes the 20 million from Oskar, who is in disguise, so that he can buy the supposed plans from Paul. Time is running out: Michail Krimow finally wants to see the goods he paid for. Over the course of three days, Oskar and Kurt put together fake design plans for a three-liter car, since Jakesch wants to inspect the plans himself before handing them over to Michail. In Max’s presence, however, Jakesch’s supposed lover Viola suggests cheating the enigmatic businessman out of the money by staging a fake handover, while the real deal has already been completed the day before. The group prepares accordingly. During an official tour of the Austrian Motor Works, Nelly and Erich slip away from the group and hastily set up an office in an abandoned section of the building. Oskar eventually appears there, posing as an industrial spy, and shows Jakesch, who has arrived with Max, part of the fake plans on a computer. Jakesch persuades him to hand over the CD immediately in exchange for half the agreed total sum, and Oskar agrees. Oskar takes the money, but Heinz takes it back from him a short time later. The real con, however, is planned for the following day. Jakesch has set what he thinks is a trap. Max, posing as the industrial spy’s accomplice, sells the enigmatic businessman Paul a blank CD. Paul appears to give him a briefcase containing ten million. As Jakesch rejoices, the police suddenly appear and arrest Paul and Max. Jakesch and Heinz flee in a panic, but the policemen are actually friends of Paul and Max in disguise. Jakesch believes the police will find him soon, so he retrieves his 20 million from the safe at his home. Suddenly, his supposed lover Viola appears and threatens him with a gun. She reveals that she actually works for Michail Krimow. Jakesch leaves the money with her so she won’t shoot him. He flees to the airport and boards the next flight to Mallorca. Meanwhile, Paul has disguised himself as a major figure in Vienna’s underworld and met with Michail Krimow, presenting himself as an underworld boss of equal standing. He tells Michail that he doesn’t want any trouble with him and therefore wants to return the 20 million Jakesch stole from him. But the briefcase contains no money, only drugs—plaster of Paris prepared by Max. Paul explains that Jakesch invested all the millions in drugs. But when narcotics officers appear outside the venue, Michail is no longer interested in the case and only wants to escape. He hurries to the airport and takes the first available flight—to Mallorca. His seat is directly behind Jakesch’s, who now knows what awaits him. Paul and Max celebrate their victory over Jakesch with Nelly, Kurt, and Oskar, and their successful revenge for Fritz. Max asks Paul where the 20 million ended up. Suddenly, Viola appears beside them with the briefcase of money. She is actually Amelie Griemann, Fritz’s daughter, and had been in on Paul’s plan from the very beginning.