Hardcover (2008)

The young writer Christoph dreams of one day writing a proper hardcover book. Instead, he gets by with a job at a car rental agency and writes pulp novels on the side. When the petty criminal Dominik steals a car from the agency, Christoph sees his chance. At an identification lineup, he pretends never to have seen Dominik, then approaches him later so he can research Düsseldorf’s underworld through him. Dominik agrees and introduces him to the suspicious crime boss Chico. In Chico’s world of drugs and prostitution, Dominik quickly proves to be a small-time player. “Dom,” as he wants to be called, works as a bouncer at a bar owned by Chico. He is also his own best customer when it comes to weed. When Christoph witnesses Chico apparently committing manslaughter, he and Dom find themselves in a predicament. However, they initially manage to convince Chico that they can be trusted. During his research, Christoph meets Ewa, a Polish stripper, and falls in love with her. They spend a night together, but she has no interest in a relationship because she wants to return to Poland. Dom tries to win his girlfriend back by falsely telling her that he has landed a lucrative job with Chico. To raise money, Dom and Christoph take a job for Chico. They are tasked with buying a car for him from some gangsters in Holland. The two drive to Holland, where the gangsters rip them off: they take the money and simply drive off with the car. Although Dominik points a gun at the two men, he does not have the nerve to use it. The two are now in debt to Chico. So Christoph and Dom try to stage a robbery at the car rental agency to get hold of a car. That goes wrong too, because the police happen to arrive, break up the “robbery,” and, to make matters worse, arrest Dom. To get Dom released, Christoph offers the district attorney’s office a chance to prove Chico committed manslaughter. He goes into Chico’s office wearing a wire and tries to get a confession. Instead, however, the man supposedly beaten to death turns up, and Chico now threatens to kill Christoph. The police get him out of the dangerous situation, but shortly afterward abandon him. Chico now demands half the proceeds from the book Christoph has been intending to write all along. Christoph offers him everything in exchange for leaving Dom alone as well, and begins writing the book. A year later, Dom is released from prison. Christoph greets him with a fresh-off-the-press copy of his book, “Hardcover,” in which he has hidden a joint for his friend. Dom naturally wants to smoke it right away, so the two argue because Christoph won’t let him do so in his car. He drives the car into a buffer stop. After they both get out, Dom lights his joint, and they lean against the car, smoking as the end credits begin.