Invincible

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04/24/2015 Somehow I missed this fiction film from Werner Herzog (along with Scream of Stone, it seems), even as I caught up on many of his documentaries from the same period. Of course, my expectations were high, but this turned out to be more conventional than much of Herzog's output. But I wanted to think otherwise. Indeed, at the start, in a small1930's Polish village, you could almost feel that you are in the same fictional space in which Herzog set The Enigma of Kaspar Hauser (1974) -- and nonprofessional actor (and full-time strongman) Jouko Ahola is not unlike a gentler less pessimistic Bruno S. If he was trying to cash in by going mainstream, Herzog didn't try very hard. Tim Roth and Udo Kier (known for weirdness) may be the only recognizable actors amongst a cast of amateurs and people with real skills (playing the piano or lifting heavy weights). But even as Herzog tackles very weighty issues (ahem), such as the rise of the Nazi's and the plight of the Jews, he seems to have misplaced his ability to raise his material to another level. True, he throws in undulating jellyfish and hordes of red crabs (the latter in a dream sequence), but these overt touches only tend to demonstrate what is lacking from the film as a whole. Nevertheless, from any other director, this would be a solid (if longish) retelling of the true story of the New Samson, a Jew who dazzled Berlin as the strongest man in the world and warned of the terrible Holocaust to come. Of course, Herzog's version might not entirely match up with the facts, but I'm okay with that. See more 08/06/2013 Written and directed by Werner Herzog, this was his first feature film in a decade, he'd turned to doing documentaries after the troubled production of Scream of Stone (1991). However, he found himself doing this biopic, loosely based on the life of Jewish strongman Zishe Breitbart, although Herzog took liberties with his life, setting it a full 7 years after Breitbart had died, but that was all part of what Herzog had in mind, and it works amazingly. It begins in rural Poland in 1932, it begins with Zishe Breitbart (Jouko Ahola), who works as a blacksmith in town, but he is also fantastically strong, and his talents are spotted at a local circus, and Zishe is invited to work in Berlin by Hanussen (Tim Roth), a supposed mystic (he isn't) as part of a big cabaret show. However, the audience every night is made up of soldiers of the rising Nazi party, so Zishe is under pressure to keep his identity a secret, but his younger brother Benjamin (Jacob Benjamin Wein) convinces Zishe that he has nothing to hide. Meanwhile, Zishe tries to win the affections of pianist Marta Farra (Anna Gourari), who just so happens to be in a relationshop with Hanussen. It's a very rare and little seen Herzog film, which was little seen upon release, but it managed to be a very compelling film, and very engaging. It has shots and moments we've come to expect from Herzog, but Herzog manages to get some brilliant performances from his actors too. See more 09/27/2012 Missed this on release, reportedly a mis-fire from Herzog, but not as bad as I thought it was going to be. Some bad casting decisions make for some scenes to lose their emotional impact, but there is a still a lot to admire here. See more 06/02/2012 Not sure what to give this.....i was sat there completely blown away for a while and it five star stuff....i mean it was wow.....then it seemed to get to be a bit of a struggle and didn't keep up wowness.....Herzog is incredible though with the authenticity going on..... and the editing and cinematography at first rate. See more 04/20/2012 This felt like it had much potential, but fizzled out. See more 02/12/2012 Yeah, it has some flaws, like a few wooden performances here and there, but for the most part I thought this was a great movie. Really fucked up. And Tim Roth's performance was wonderful. See more Read all reviews

Invincible

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