The Robbers

Johann is released on parole for attempted armed robbery and immediately falls back into bank robberies. He carries a shotgun and wears a mask to hide his identity during each heist. The pattern re-establishes his reputation as a dangerous, unpredictable criminal.

Johann moves in with Erika, a young social worker, and the two begin a fragile relationship. Erika remains hopeful about rehabilitation, but she is also drawn into his double life as his criminal acts escalate. The apartment becomes a place where trust and danger collide.

Johann wins several marathons with record times, drawing attention for his athletic talent. His success is quietly celebrated by his parole officer, who notes the odd mix of reform signals and ongoing crime. The victories give him cover as his old life bleeds into the new.

As robberies continue, Erika grows wary of Johann's behavior. She eventually finds loot hidden under his bed and confronts him, urging him to leave and insisting that change might still be possible. The confrontation strains their relationship and raises the stakes for both of them.

Weeks pass with little contact between Johann and his parole officer. After a marathon, the officer shows up to press for cooperation and to express concern about his lack of communication. The meeting feels like a warning that the hard line is slipping away.

Tensions escalate when the officer questions him; Johann enrages and beats the parole officer to death with his trophy. The brutal act marks a point of no return, annihilating any pretense of rehabilitation. The murder accelerates his descent into fugitivism.

Following a final, heartbreakingly tense meeting with Erika, Johann is arrested by the police in the hotel room where he had kept his money. The confrontation with law enforcement marks the end of his hold on ordinary life.

Johann is handed a confession to sign during processing, then makes a break for freedom by escaping through a window. He launches a cross-country manhunt on foot, fleeing into the open countryside. The escape signals the start of a desperate chase.

While on the run, Johann finds refuge in an old man's house. The situation turns violent when the old man, wielding a concealed pocket knife, stabs Johann deeply while attempting to tie him up. The assault complicates the escape and turns the manhunt toward a survival crisis.

Johann steals the old man's car and speeds away as a helicopter appears overhead, tracking his flight. He evades pursuit briefly by switching cars with motorists at a rest stop, then continues on the road. The chase becomes a cat-and-mouse game across the countryside.

Wounded and exhausted, Johann loses consciousness behind the wheel and pulls over on the highway. He phones Erika, asking her to stay on the line as his breath fades, seeking some human connection in his final moments.

The life drains from Johann as his phone call continues. Erika remains on the line until he stops breathing, closing the story on a man who could not escape his past and its consequences.