Sept. 30, 9:30 p.m. and Oct. 2, 2:45 p.m., Eau Claire

For a film full of car chases, running and, well, robbing, Der Räuber (The Robber) is surprisingly slow-paced. However, what this dramatic German thriller lacks in explosive action and ADD jump-cuts it makes up in nail-biting tension and bursts of athletic hand-held camera work, with enough pregnant pauses to savour the story’s emotional weight.

Adapting Martin Prinz’s novel of the same name, writer-director Benjamin Heisenberg retells the headline-ripped events of real-life ex-con-turned-record-setting marathon runner Johann Rettenberger, who brazenly returns to a life of crime. Recognizing his lack of options after exiting the pen, a former flame, now working as a social worker, takes pity on Rettenberger and offers him her spare room. Sparks fly, yet when she learns of his hobby — which involves a rubber mask and shotgun — the same moral dilemma befalls both her and the audience.

There aren’t many plot points to speak of outside of this basic synopsis, yet Heisenberg and screenwriter Prinz maintain interest across 96 minutes with extended Children of Men-style sequences mixed with meditative lingering. As Rettenberger bolts from bank to bank, through the woods and out of Johnny Law’s reach, the camera sticks to him like a mosquito. This intense focus — neither glorifying nor demonizing the fleet-footed anti-hero — keeps Der Räuber on track. Lace up tight.