I didn't like the film too much, probably because I know the original book by Jan Willem van de Wetering. It is a Who-Done-It, but quite sophisticated, almost philosophical and there are only glimpses of that in this film, so little, that it looks out of place and is hardly understandable. The original is set in Amsterdam, not in Hamburg, which shouldn't make too much of a difference, except for the character of Graf and Bellmann's boss, who is a main character in the book and got the trouble with his leg, which is hinted at, while being imprisoned by the Nazis. So all this human background is a bit confused and confusing and the film would have been better without it, unless they had gone for it 100 percent and spent some thought on it.
I have a real fondness for this particular type of movie which is very similar to made-for-tv films often put out by the networks in the U.S. They're meant only as a way to kill an evening watching it if you have nothing better to do and are certainly not enriching or thought-provoking, but they have their good points. Since they are purely for entertainment they tend to entertain quite well - the story swings right along with lots of action and intrigue; they tend to be cast with good solid character actors who do a great job without taking it too seriously (and always look like they're having genuine fun with the script and with each other); and they look cool.
I can park contentedly in front of Grand Guignol any day of the week (classic or modern), and the entire opening sequence of Der Blonde Affe truly delighted me - Jürgen working on the mysterious statue in the mysterious studio on a dark and stormy night, with perfect background music. I had such a good time with this one that I watched every minute of the entire thing even though I couldn't follow the dialog and there were long stretches between Jürgen's appearances. I loved Elaine's Norma Desmond overacting schtick - she was a riot. I loved the two cops, whose personalities were well developed and well played, and who got lots of small comic moments that were very nicely done. And I loved Jürgen, who seemed to be in his element here for just plain old havin' a good time - he plays it straight, but there's a mischievous twinkle in his eye the whole time that you just can't miss. It's worth watching just to see the expressions that play across his face so beautifully in the scene where he's talking to the cops in the studio.
"Good movie," no... but for what it is, I have no complaints at all. It goes on my "good popcorn" list for sure.