Anatomy

Spunky Franka Potente (star of Run Lola Run) cuts a fine figure as Paula, a sharp medical student studying anatomy at Heidelberg. After a young man she met earlier on a train turns up for vivisection, Paula begins to suspect nefarious goings-on at the university. Think quasi-Nazi experimentation meets Coma, with some stateside slice-and-dice genre touches thrown in for good measure. Director Stefan Ruzowitzky (The Inheritors) does know where to place the camera, but he also proves that German moviemeisters can do horror-film clichés (e.g., the presumed dead rising up again) with the worst of their American counterparts. Dark humor and edgy style help make this a tolerable, but definitely optional, purchase. (T. Rich)