Tödliche Gier (2021)

Pastor Manfred Bahnert recently settled in a small town with his wife Claudia and their son Marius, a place where nothing ever seems to happen. However, because of his unconventional manner, Manfred is finding it difficult to be accepted by the congregation as their new pastor. Claudia’s newly purchased pharmacy has hardly any customers, and for Marius, his new life is utterly dreary. Their daughter Svenja, who has been in treatment for drug problems, moves in with her parents temporarily after splitting up with her boyfriend Daniel. In Hamburg, four prisoners carry out their plan to escape from prison so they can recover and divide up the loot from a previous diamond heist. During the escape, prisoner Dombrowski is seriously wounded by a knife. After the heist, he had hidden the loot in the ruins of a church, which the group now visits. But a lot has changed over the years. The church has since been rebuilt, and Manfred is now its serving pastor. During a nighttime break-in at the church, Dombrowski succumbs to his injuries before he can show the others where the loot is hidden. Manfred goes to investigate when he sees the lights on in the church and surprises the criminals. They take him and his family hostage, determined to get the diamonds from the church so they can make their escape. They make Manfred help them search, and they begin digging in several places. Under surveillance, Claudia is supposed to open her pharmacy as usual so no one in town will become suspicious. The pastor repeatedly tries to turn the three hostage-takers against one another, while they in turn expose the conflicts within the pastor’s family. The mayor notices activity at the church, but Manfred manages to fob him off. Later, Svenja also has to tell Daniel, who has suddenly shown up, to get out of her life. The hostage-takers become increasingly unpredictable as the loot remains unfound and they consume alcohol and medication. Marius escapes through a ventilation shaft, but one of the hostage-takers catches him again. A local resident is shot dead in the process. By now, some members of the congregation seem to sense that something is wrong. A van left behind with traces of blood is discovered, and Claudia manages to get a message to one of her customers, the former owner of the pharmacy and the father of the village policeman. Meanwhile, the criminals finally find a metal box, but it is empty. Manfred admits that he found the stones and says he will hand them over only if his family is safe. The people involved quarrel, and one hostage-taker shoots another. When one of the hostage-takers collapses because Claudia put sedatives in his bottle of liquor, Manfred throws himself at the remaining hostage-taker. At the same time, several locals and Daniel break into the pastor’s house. Finally, Claudia shoots the hostage-taker. Manfred hands over the diamonds and learns that a large reward has been offered for the criminals. The money could be used to restore the parsonage. When Manfred says he doesn’t think he will stay, the townspeople—who had previously been rather standoffish—persuade him to remain after all.