Excellent drama from West Germany (in German with subtitles) stars Anita Pallenberg as a waitress who has just accidentally shot her ex-boyfriend dead after a semi-playful scuffle in her apartment. The two had a volatile relationship, but she's still understandably upset--though not enough to call the police and turn herself in. Instead, she walks down to the local pub and finds a man there who needs money; hiring him to help her dispose of the boyfriend's body, she finds herself attracted to him--and also to his friend when they need help moving the body downstairs. Scored with a cacophony of "mod" sounds by Brian Jones of The Rolling Stones (who was dating Pallenberg at the time), "Mord und Totschlag" (which translates as "Murder and Homicide") is a fascinating study of how women control men. Our heroine, reckless or childlike one minute and controlling with her feminine wiles the next, is perfectly embodied by Pallenberg who, between a sad smile and a knowing look, is compulsively watchable. Director Volker Schlöndorff was a nominee for the Palme d'Or at Cannes. *** from ****