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Viennese crime thriller: Haller and Falk save an inspector who is buried alive!
On July 10, 2025, the fifth part of the crime series “Blind Investigated” with Philipp Hochmair will air on ARD. Find out more about the exciting plot and characters.
Viennese crime thriller: Haller and Falk save an inspector who is buried alive!
On July 10, 2025, at 8:15 p.m., ARD will show the premiere of the fifth film in the “Blindly Determined” series with the title “Buried Alive.” This exciting story is about the blind ex-commissioner Alexander Haller, played by Philipp Hochmair, and his loyal sidekick Niko Falk (Andreas Guenther). Together they have to save the kidnapped chief inspector Laura Janda (Jaschka Lämmert) from the clutches of a dangerous revenge murderer who is attacking former convicts for murdering girls. At the scene of the event, the famous Vienna Central Cemetery, a dark story unfolds, impressively staged by Jano Ben Chaabane.
The film is not only a gripping crime story, but also highlights Haller's psychological problems. However, critics criticize the lack of dark humor and the excessive focus on Haller's inner conflicts. As the Prisma platform reports, six more cases involving the investigator duo have been broadcast in recent years, and two new films were filmed in Vienna in autumn 2024, which will provide viewers with further exciting stories.
A look at the backstory
The plot of the new film is based on a flashback to October 17, 2017, when Haller lost his eyesight in an attack and his partner Kara Hoffmann lost her life. The previous episode “Death in a Fiaker” from the ZDFmediathek already gave some clues about the complex past of the main character and the challenges associated with it.
A central element of the story is the brutal murder of lawyer Dr. Stefan Wild, whose notes on the bomb attack remind Haller of the case's dark past. In the area of tension between old files and current threats, Haller becomes an investigator who has to uncover the secrets and at the same time fight for the life of his colleague.
Production and audience reaction
The film was shot in various locations in Vienna in the summer of 2020 and is a joint production by Mona Film (Austria) and Tivoli Film (Germany). The musical accompaniment includes, among other things, excerpts from Wolfgang Ambros' well-known song "Long live the Central Cemetery", which is heard during the end credits. When it was first broadcast on Erste, the film achieved impressive audience numbers: 5.83 million viewers in Germany, which corresponds to a market share of 18.0 percent.
This high number of viewers shows that Austrian crime novels continue to be popular. According to Moviepilot, crime series are very popular in Austria and impress with exciting stories that captivate the audience.
With “Buried Alive,” fans can look forward to another gripping case that will not only appeal to the viewers’ criminal streak, but also offer deeper insights into the psyche of the blind investigator. A must-see for all crime fans and an exciting story about coming to terms with the past and justice!