Original subtitles

INSPECTOR REX

STRAIGHT DOWN TO DEATH

We have exactly 20 minutes

while the watchman does his round.

- Enough time. - You won't beat Hans.

I'll take my chances.

I like the kid.

Quite a car, eh? It would do me.

Hello.

Your bag.

- You must stop him. - Once Hans decides...

Please talk to him. He listens to you. Do it for me.

He'll do it easily.

Gauze and tape are in the first aid kit.

If you want out, kid, go now.

- No. - Close your eyes and do it.

- And his hand? - He says not to worry.

- It's madness. - No, a matter of honour.

Nonsense.

Let's go.

Okay, free solo, as discussed.

Ropes only to come down.

I'm scared.

Ready?

His arm's hurting.

Forget it.

It's just a tactic.

Hans lets the kid overtake him then he'll shake him off.

- Everything okay? - Yes.

If you can't go on let's call it off.

Come on. Come on.

Here, take my hand! A bit further.

Hans, try your hardest.

Hey, something's wrong.

Hans knows his limits.

You can do it. Come on.

Here, take my hand. Take it.

Come on!

Come on, you can make it.

Now what?

- What do we do now? - Calm down.

- Just a minute, Inspector. - Yes?

Look... I don't know how to say it.

I like Rex, really. Believe me.

He's so sweet. Don't get me wrong.

I don't get anything.

This came from management.

Rex is barred from the building.

Official instructions.

Hello, Fritz.

Fine. I'll get Niki. We'll be there soon.

Bye.

A misunderstanding. Come, Rex.

They have a nerve to write that about Rex.

They're stupid.

This pompous, bureaucratic language

means that Rex is suspended from duty.

I won't let it stress me out.

- So I see. - At last!

Calm down. The corpse won't walk away.

Hello.

Not a pleasant sight so early in the morning.

The thorax is covered with fractures and bruises.

The skull's smashed beyond recognition.

It happened eight to ten hours ago.

How?

Maybe a lorry or a bus ran into him at high speed.

But that's speculation!

I'll leave it to you. It's your job.

I'll deliver facts, when I have them.

See you.

- Hi, Leo. - What?

Hi.

- What's with him? - No idea.

We're lucky they opened the trench again.

Or we'd never have found the body.

Rex, at this rate Civil Engineering will hire you.

At least he'll have a job.

- What? - Nothing.

Hey...

Well done.

He died with his shoes on.

- While jogging. - No.

It's a climbing shoe for pros. Not many shops sell them.

If he'd died climbing a frozen waterfall

or in a blizzard in the Himalayas I'd say it was fate, but...

from the town hall tower?

I just can't understand it.

It was an accident. He underestimated his injuries.

We buried our friend like a dead animal.

If it gets out I'll lose my licence.

Kathrin and you would lose the climb park.

Climbers clean high-rise windows or are out in the street.

- Better than under the street. - As Hans always said,

"Close your eyes and do it."

What if the kid cracks?

In for a penny, in for a pound. Take care of him.

Don't exaggerate!

Inspector...

I checked the records. Five letters were sent about Rex.

Five? I didn't get one.

The last two were registered. Rex must've brought them.

I see... Rex.

They told me that he sometimes collects your mail.

- Where's he now? - In an animal refuge.

Inspector...

you can't do that.

I can't tie him to a tree outside, can I?

An order is an order.

Just a minute, Inspector.

What if you never received the letter?

I could have lost it.

Such things happen, don't they?

Please go and get Rex back from the refuge.

You had me going all right.

- Thanks. - You're welcome.

- You owe me an explanation. - What's he done now?

Letters.

Well, where are they?

Great!

The chief dog trainer has been asking for Rex for six months.

To renew his police dog licence.

Police dog provisional permit. A tongue twister.

Luckily it's not "She sells seashells by the seashore."

ls Erwin Klotz the head of the Police Dog Training Centre?

- Yes, do you know him? - Yes. Such a hulk.

He ill-treats dogs. Ask Rex.

I see. You knew the letters were from Klotz.

You let them disappear.

But it won't help. You'll have to go.

Bingo!

The dead man is Hans Brenner.

Two previous convictions for graffiti, ten years ago.

- He's good looking. - Was.

And he was well known as a free climber.

- How do you know? - I was a climber as a student.

You?

Yes. Me.

Ralf!

- This place isn't exactly posh. - No, it isn't.

Come in.

Reinhard's worried you might crack.

- Why should I? - We'll carry on as usual.

If anyone asks, say we were at Reinhard's all night. Okay?

Right.

I underestimated you, the lowlander from Berlin.

Training is everything.

My place looked similar, except for more furniture.

I'm concentrating on the essentials.

But for my leg, I'd show you.

Did it happen in the Himalayas?

How do you know?

Hans told me.

The expedition 2 years ago?

On Nanga Parbat. The weather changed suddenly.

You'd been caught on a rock face for days.

Not had been, we were.

In the death zone.

What else did Hans tell you?

He teased me, a lowlander, for being a novice.

Hans, Reinhard and you looked death in the face then.

"You looked death in the face..." Sounds good.

What really happened?

Another time, kid. Another time.

Kid...

If I believe everything they say

the dog is a real super brain.

So, not to ask too little of him,

we raised the bar accordingly.

Now we'll see

whether the dog is mentally and physically fit.

Boss, he won't manage. No dog ever has.

Shut up!

You don't mind if Rex has a look first?

Feel free.

A dachshund wouldn't manage that.

If the carton or the dog falls down, he fails the test.

He can try again in four weeks.

Until then,

I must revoke his police dog's licence.

Mr Klotz...

- Rex has been... - Rules are rules.

Hoffmann...

Hello, Niki. What's up?

Is Dr Graf sure it was a fall from high up?

Yes, I know it. The concrete monster from WWII.

It's a climbing school now.

No, I'll go to the climbing tower myself.

I'll talk to the man personally. I'm on my way. Bye.

Sorry, but we must leave at once.

Rules are rules. Come, Rex.

The deadline is today.

Well done, Manuel. Think of the three point rule.

You can do it.

Excuse me...

I must talk to you. Hello.

- Are you crazy? - No.

I'm from the police.

Okay, we'll finish up.

How did you meet Mr Brenner?

Through a social worker.

Hans was a mad graffiti sprayer.

The upper hold.

Why do you ask?

Hans Brenner's dead.

What?

Hans?

Never!

Do you understand, Ms Schutz?

Yes.

He is dead.

Tell me, how good a climber was Hans Brenner?

Hans?

He was a famous free climber. Why do you ask?

The Eiger's north face?

Yes. I found a new route three years ago.

Unconquerable... I know.

I read about it.

Has anyone climbed it since?

No.

Would Hans have managed?

Who knows?

For Hans, marketing mattered more than climbing.

The sponsors brought in the money. Try again.

Was he envied?

Envy! Aren't we all envious?

Take me. I envy everyone with two good legs.

Take your time.

How did it happen?

In a motorbike accident.

If my boyfriend led a dangerous life...

I couldn't live in constant fear.

You know what he always said?

"L learnt to climb from cats.

"And I have as many lives as them."

Did Hans take things seriously?

He was certainly ambitious.

But climbing wasn't everything.

Life...

was what mattered.

You loved him?

Yes.

Hans fell from the tower? Impossible.

He knew every inch of it.

Why would he climb there at night?

- What are you doing? - Taking a soil sample.

We'll compare it with particles found in the corpse's skin.

Where were you last night?

- At home. - Any witnesses?

Reinhard had a new video of K2.

When climbers see mountains, they go wild.

Climbing the Cesen route solo was his dream.

What's the Cesen route?

It's the most difficult climb to the summit of K2.

And now Reinhard will try it?

We talked about it often.

To me, it's suicide.

52 mountain climbers have already died.

Watch, Rex. This is the beam.

Always look ahead, never down,

or you'll get dizzy.

And walk slowly.

Then comes the jump.

Did you watch? Land like this.

The rest is child's play.

If the soil samples don't match the climb park,

these are our choices.

Not everybody climbs high-rises.

And...

you climbed beautifully.

Here, the Millennium Tower.

Like a cat.

Surveillance cameras...

I can't concentrate.

- Surveillance cameras... - Yes, surveillance cameras.

We must check them all.

They covered their tracks well.

Assuming he fell to his death from a high-rise while climbing,

you don't dump him in a trench.

Well... climbers have nerve.

It's time you and Rex left or Mr Klotz will be gone.

Mr Klotz... I forgot about him. He can't be trusted.

Come on, Rex.

I hope Rex will make it.

The cartons were smaller.

It's no problem for your super dog.

The time allowed on this track is 20 seconds.

- That's new. - Shut up!

Ready...

Go!

Did you see that, boss?

Faster, Rex!

Come on, Rex! You can do it.

He passed...

the dog.

The dog has a name. And you'd better remember it.

Super!

He couldn't hold on properly because of cramps.

- What's this? - An old injury.

Extreme exertion causes overacidity in the muscles.

It leads to cramps. Right?

Yes, but it only applies to the affected muscle.

Here, every muscle in the body is affected.

Meaning?

The cramps were caused by a toxic substance.

Do we know which one?

And how it got into the body?

No. We're dealing with different toxins here.

Each one must be tested. I'll need more time.

Then he was poisoned?

Well... maybe the dose wasn't deadly.

Maybe the culprit knew Brenner was climbing.

- And that it can cause cramps. - Then...

Then the dose was deadly.

Then it was murder.

Piet...

Check all the holds. A student nearly fell last week.

Okay.

Reinhard...

We must tell the truth.

- What? - Things aren't right.

The police will seek us out.

Calm down.

We disposed of a body. We could go to jail.

Relax. It's under control.

Like on Nanga Parbat?

That was nobody's fault.

- I'm warning you... - Threatening me, cripple?

You can't even climb the tower. Piet had to.

I'll start training. I'll show you.

Careful you don't fall down the steps.

Hushing up the accident I can understand,

but a murder...

Well...

Here are the latest climbing magazines.

But before we get stuck in for the night,

let's drink to the proud owner

of his newly acquired police dog licence.

What are you doing here?

Someone has to do the paperwork.

I hate doing it.

Are they your files on the Cesen route?

8611 metres.

Will you come? We're a good team.

Hans and you offered me the best climbing tours.

A personal contest for a beautiful woman.

It wouldn't have worked out.

I have the 100,000 for the expedition.

- So you're serious. - Yes. Come along.

What's this? Hans only died two days ago.

Hans only wanted a career.

- He'd have dumped you. - Let me go, please.

That graffitist just wanted to mix with the trendies.

Let me go!

Hey, that's plain stupid.

A cripple can't do it, eh?

I'll show you!

Before he died Hans had severe cramps.

He tried to hold on, but had no strength left.

That's how it was, right?

He slipped and fell to his death.

I don't know.

It looked like an accident but it wasn't.

A poisonous substance caused the cramps.

And the culprit knew

Hans' cramps would be deadly when he climbed.

It's not true.

Mr Maier...

It's me again. Hello. We must talk.

Come to the top. I'm almost there.

Great.

We must climb the steps, Rex. Come on.

Hey, not so fast, Rex.

Still a long way.

Sorry, Inspector. We must talk downstairs.

Great.

Rex, what is it?

What's wrong?

Mr Maier, the rope...

Don't move. The rope's breaking.

What happened?

He fell. But he'll pull through.

Oh God.

- Why weren't you here? - I had breakfast in a cafe.

I think we should talk. At headquarters.

My colleagues will take you.

Can I talk to you, Inspector?

I reached out to him, but he couldn't hold on.

And you covered him with dirt?

Don't you know it's a serious crime?

Yes, but Reinhard...

Yes?

I've idolised him since I was 15. He's nothing to you, but...

And you just switch your brain off?

I gave up everything in Berlin.

I came here six months ago to study.

Who had the idea of competition climbing?

There was great excitement when I beat Hans.

He couldn't cope. He laid into me and...

- And? - I think it was Reinhard's idea.

Yes, climbing up here free solo.

Free solo...

Was that clear all along?

No safety harness, no partner.

The ultimate kick.

So you were 19 when you met them.

Yes.

At first I liked Reinhard.

But then you chose Hans.

That was ages ago.

How could I know Reinhard was still...

Please explain one thing.

Hans was a great climber.

How could you think it was an accident?

Because of his injury.

Before the climb he taped his hand.

When?

Shortly before, in the van.

We keep a first aid kit there.

So, every one of you knew about his hand injury.

And knew Hans had to tape his hand before the climb?

Right?

Yes.

An ordinary bandage frays, tape supports the joints.

Herzog. I need to speak to Dr Graf.

You and Hans Brenner climbed 13 mountains over 8000m high.

One each year, and only the most difficult routes.

We were seeking a challenge.

But the Nanga Parbat expedition 2 years ago was the last one.

Why?

No idea.

You, Ralf and Hans made it to the summit

despite a severe snowstorm earlier on, right?

There was a fourth man, Jurgen Préker.

He lost his head and descended alone despite the storm.

He was never found.

There was speculation.

I was in charge. Constant snow caused avalanches.

If someone had gone with him, then...

Then he might have fallen too.

Yes.

And now?

Your friend fell off the tower. No storm, just like that.

What? Hans? I thought this was about Ralf.

We know what happened that night.

You all thought it was an accident.

Someone knew more... the murderer.

The murderer?

Yes, Ralf Maier is an important witness.

According to the doctors he can't be questioned now.

An officer's posted outside his hospital room.

Pleasure. Thanks.

Did Reinhard confess?

He denies everything, insists it was an accident.

Not true. Dr Graf says the tape and gauze are the key.

Hans Brenner was poisoned with a sort of insecticide

that was absorbed through the skin.

- Like a nicotine patch? - Exactly.

And the culprit needed more than a chemistry set.

This insecticide can only be produced

in a well-equipped laboratory, according to Dr Graf.

So Reinhard has someone with that know-how.

- What about this Piet? - He studies mathematics.

His statement is true. Kunz will check the rest.

I'll talk to Kathrin again.

Fine.

Ask her about Nanga Parbat.

I feel there's more to it than just jealousy.

I've been waiting 2 years for this moment.

Did my brother look at you like this, on Nanga Parbat?

You'll take this secret with you to your grave.

Know what was the worst?

The helplessness.

I couldn't do anything for my brother.

One or two drops anaesthetise, but in this concentration...

It happens in the best hospitals. It will be over in half an hour.

Nurse!

- Hello. - I rang the university.

They checked Piet Fischer's student pass.

And?

Just listen. There is a pass, registration 0347948.

Not issued to Piet Fischer, but to Piet Préker.

He doesn't study mathematics, but...

- Chemistry. - Bingo!

So, in the laboratory he produced the poison

that killed Hans Brenner.

- Where's my gun? - Bottom drawer.

Thanks.

Drive over to his place. I'll see Niki.

If someone else is on his list, it's Kathrin.

This story tormented Hans.

He had to talk to someone about it.

What really did happen?

In the camp after the storm, Jurgen...

- Jurgen who? - Jurgen Préker.

Jurgen was sick. Very sick.

He had fever and shivering fits.

They should have descended with him.

Yes.

They gave him antibiotics thinking he'd last another day.

Hans and Reinhard...

They couldn't help it. They had to reach the summit.

So they climbed to the peak and then?

When they returned to climb down together...

he was dead.

Then they threw my brother down.

- Put the knife down. - Quiet!

Push the gun over here. Quick!

Throw away your mobile.

It's not Kathrin's fault. Don't blame her.

- You knew and kept quiet. - Piet, please...

This is pointless.

Reinhard made a mistake.

My brother had a tracking device.

"If I'm hit by an avalanche, you can bury me at home"

he always said.

I swore on my life I would.

They took it from him before throwing him down.

Piet!

It's over, Piet.

Don't move!

Rex, don't!

- Where is he? - He's locked the door.

- My mobile's in my car. - Mine's gone.

- No ropes. - He's gone.

Are you serious?

Hey, have you thought about this?

Don't look down, Rex.

Careful.

Keep going, keep going...

Slowly.

Slowly.

He's got him.

Have you been watching too much Spiderman?

Ralf almost died. But he's pulled through.

Good.

- Where's your mobile? - In the car.

Thanks, Rex. Hoffmann.

Ah, Mr Klotz.

What can I do for you?

Just a minute. Rex...

Mr Klotz has an FBI delegation coming on Saturday. Interested?

Sorry, Mr Klotz.

On Saturday we're busy with a difficult case.