Phantom Pain

Based on a true story, Phantom Pain stars Til Schweiger as Mark Sumner – a thirtysomething slacker whose passion for cycling is threatened after he loses his left leg in a traffic accident. It’s a familiar set-up that’s primarily employed to agreeable effect by filmmaker Matthias Emcke, as the movie – which unfolds in as predictable a manner as one could envision – essentially captures (and sustains) the viewer’s interest for the duration of its brisk running time. Emcke’s conventional approach is subsequently easy enough to overlook, although there does reach a point at which filmmaker’s relentless use of folk songs during the movie’s myriad of montages becomes almost laughable. There’s little doubt that Schweiger’s magnetic, downright commanding performance plays a substantial role in Phantom Pain‘s success, as the actor effortlessly transforms Mark into a figure that the viewer can’t help but sympathize with. And although the movie has been infused with a raft of familiar elements, it’s worth noting that the expected sequence in which Marc angrily rails against his predicament never comes (which is, in itself, fairly impressive). The inclusion of several genuinely moving interludes cements Phantom Pain‘s place as an engaging, stirring piece of work, yet it’s admittedly not difficult to envision certain viewers finding Emcke’s unabashedly sentimental treatment of the material difficult to stomach.

*** out of ****