Big Mäck: Gangsters and Gold is a documentary film written by Fabienne Hurst and Andreas Spinrath and is a look into Donald Stellwag’s unfair imprisonment for 9 years for a crime that he never committed. The movie has a runtime of 90 minutes.
Donald Stellwag’s only guilt, probably, was to look similar to a man who committed several robberies – tall and fat. Thus, in spite of his alibis and countless proof against his involvement, he is found guilty and sent to prison for 9 years. The documentary gets Stellwag to tell his side of this colossal miscarriage of justice and the media circus that followed.
– Big Mäck: Gangsters and Gold Review Does Not Contain Spoilers –
One thing that I would give Big Mäck: Gangsters and Gold is the fact that it showcases a rather morose story at a blindingly fast pace in the most upbeat manner. The story goes from nothing to a human rights violation in a matter of minutes which sort of feels right for a story that is absolutely disturbing but is equally unbelievable.
The biographical documentary brings forth the different beats of the case rather efficiently. Because it’s not every day that a man gets accused of being a part of two robberies and living to tell the tale. The fascinating story will bring you up to speed with how scary situations like these might be – you can have all the evidence in the world and still go to jail. Sure, things might have improved from 1995; for one, we are not finding the guilty party based on the shape of people’s ears.
However, it wouldn’t be improbable for something like this to happen. The documentary, having Stellwag tell his own tale, brings that fear and uncertainty into the storytelling. You feel sorry for the guy and sit there wondering how such a colossal miscarriage of justice could’ve happened. Even though you see it in front of you, you are bound to find it impossible to believe. The real-life footage also helps to make an interesting impact.
The story only gets more unbelievable when the gangster-rapper gets introduced. Things take a rather odd turn from then onwards, with truth, lies and suspicion merging together and clouding your judgement. At times, you won’t be able to stop yourself from raising your eyebrows and towards the end, you might even have your mind totally changed. It’s a wild ride from start to end, one that will keep you guessing – who is guilty and who is not?
However, for all of its positives, especially thanks to this crazy story, Big Mäck: Gangsters and Gold feels a bit much. It doesn’t seem to take the storyline and the sad reality seriously and, in fact, seems rather staged and forced. The unending recreations are really annoying after a while (although the casting is rather spot-on) and pull you out of the importance and seriousness of the story.
Sure, the story is unbelievable, but it is true regardless of what you feel about it. It’s the truth being brought to light, and I felt that the creators really overlooked this bit and played on the situation’s unbelievable nature. I wish it would’ve been more serious, with heavier emphasis put on how the miscarriage of justice impacted Stellwag because, let’s face it, that compensation from the state was just insulting.
When the coin flips to the other side and your judgement changes, you are left wondering why you didn’t get this information before. If anything, Big Mäck: Gangsters and Gold feels very black and white and gives you whiplash as you near the end of the runtime. You start off thinking one thing, and then your entire perspective is threatened by vital information – the change seems unnecessary but will definitely take you by surprise.
That funky music, however, really gelled well with the story presentation and totally made it fun and sort of lighthearted watch.
Summing Up: Big Mäck: Gangsters and Gold
Big Mäck: Gangsters and Gold is an interesting and surprising story that goes from 0 to 100 in a matter of minutes. The film runs at the speed of light through bizarre stories in Donald Stellwag’s life, a life that itself is just so interesting and entertaining that you won’t be able to look away. However, it would’ve done better if it cut back on the recreations by quite a bit.
Big Mäck: Gangsters and Gold is streaming on Netflix.
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