It's hard to agree with the ethics of a movie that tries too hard to make political comments on society and the way in which we live.

They always come across like a history lesson or a lecture on politics. But here is a film that manages to be highly entertaining as well as poignant in its political stance.

The story follows Jan and Peter, a pair of free-spirits and would-be young radicals who break into homes of the sickeningly wealthy - not to burgle them (that's what they would expect) but to unnerve them by relocating all of their furniture and valuable possessions. An unscheduled and unwelcome episode of changing rooms for the mega-rich if you will.

As self-styled "Edukators", they also leave calling cards with their contrived name and profound anti-materialistic messages like: "You have too much money," or "Your days of plenty are numbered".

The desired effect is not to upset or anger the victims but to really scare them by removing their sense of security and leave them feeling guilty about their bourgeois lifestyle.

It's when we're introduced to Jule, Peter's girlfriend, that things start to get interesting.

She works hard as a waitress to pay off debts of 10,000 Euro after crashing her unregistered and uninsured car into just one of the top-of-the-range Mercedes' driven by a fat-cat that could so easily be one of Jan and Peter's targets.

She knows nothing of the boys' midnight crusades but when Peter leaves for a week's holiday in Barcelona, that all changes.

While the cat's away, Jan helps Jule redecorate her apartment and they seem to share a certain chemistry that her relationship with Peter lacks.

It's not long before Jan is spilling his guts about the little redecorating business he masterminds with her other half, "What did you think we do all night," he asks and offers to take her along for a closer inspection.

As luck would have it, Jule recognises the street that Jan has under surveillance and she leads him around the corner to the vacant mansion of Mr Hardenberg, the very fat-cat to whom she owes, in monetary terms, eight years of her working life.

The temptation is too much. The pair break in and Jule becomes one of The Edukators, venting some aggression and clearly enjoying herself at the same time.

But, it turns out, probably a little too much as she realises the next day that in all the excitement she's left her mobile phone at Hardenberg's villa.

Returning to the scene of the crime is always going to be a nervy affair and the feeling that something's going to go wrong is only heightened by Mr H's return home.

He instantly recognises Jule as the girl who crashed into him so the youngsters are left with two rather unsavoury options.

Deciding that kidnapping is preferable to murder, they tie him up and take him to a mountain retreat that Jule's uncle rarely uses but they're clearly unsure of what they should do next.

Though slow moving in parts, you can't really fault any aspect of this solid production. It has an intriguing storyline, first rate acting and three-dimensional characters you're inclined to care about.

Much more than a lesson in efficiency, it looks like the days of plenty for German cinema aren't numbered at all, they're just beginning.

Dominic Bloch