Cobra Verde

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Alec B The narrative is undeniably daring (likely to still raise eyebrows) and despite the fact that Kinski occasionally seems checked out in some scenes, his crazed facial expressions as he's training and then leading his army of Dahomey warriors is something to behold. Rated 4/5 Stars •  Rated 4 out of 5 stars 11/03/25 Full Review Kevin L There's only one Werner Herzog and perhaps only one Klaus Kinski. This is not one of their finest achievements together, but it has its moments where the film rises above exploitation and formula. The nun's choir is something, esp. the lead. Still not sure what to make of this one. For now, 3 stars Rated 3/5 Stars •  Rated 3 out of 5 stars 05/27/23 Full Review andy f Wow. For the last time Herzog and Kinski combine and Cobra Verde is equally as good as their other collaborations. Herzog always has a crazy balance - you are never quite sure whether he's highlighting an issue or being (unintentionally perhaps) exploitative. The same questions are always asked of Kinski, who snarls his way through this, one of his last performances. Unforgettable. Rated 5/5 Stars •  Rated 5 out of 5 stars 03/30/23 Full Review peter w There is no shortage of passion and colour in this film but it all feels strangely distant, partly because of the discomfort of seeing the ills of colonialism, and partly because of the exaggerated portrayal of all of the characters, and, because the slaves are objectified it is hard to even empathise with their unspeakable treatment. In the end, even the Green Cobra's regret is ambiguous: is it really about the mistreatment of slaves or is it about the failed mission. Rated 3/5 Stars •  Rated 3 out of 5 stars 03/31/23 Full Review andres s Starts out pretty obscure but then the story picks up and gets interesting. Kinski seems like a guy that can become very irate and almost crazy. You can see it in his eyes. Pretty peculiar little guy that bar owner who ends up telling Kinski's character stories about snow and the moon. What an incredibly beautiful shot with Kinski in the ocean holding the bottle and the sky looking like cotton candy. The whole deal with the sugar plantation and the owner is crazy. Apparently he's getting these darker skinned women pregnant. You can tell Francisco feels really out of place being there. Wow, Francisco aka Cobra Verde has become quite the little conquistador now having all these slaves from Africa. The architecture of the kings house looked super interesting. It was like African but also modern. That song that the African girls sing towards the end was really charming. The musical score is beautiful and meditative giving the movie a feeling of mysticism and grandeur. Herzog really knows how to pick beautiful spots to film. It makes os much sense now seeing that Herzog does documentaries now; he's been making them ever since the beginning. The way he films things, cultures and people in a very candid and naturalistic way. It's very unique and almost unbelievable how Herzog is able to capture things in a very documentary-like feel. It feels like this is how it would be to be alive around the 1800's. This movie was similar to Aguirre in its subject matter and tone, this one was just weirder and odd. Really good social commentary on the slave trade that existed back then but its message gets muddled with distractions. Rated 4/5 Stars •  Rated 4 out of 5 stars 03/30/23 Full Review Merrick S Deserves a place alongside Aguirre: Wrath of God and Fitzcarraldo, other thematically similar Herzog-Kinski collaborations. Based on Bruce Chatwin's The Viceroy of Ouidah, Cobra Verde is a modern Heart of Darkness realized with Herzog's usual commitment. Criticisms that it is "amoral" presumably find Kinski's typically deranged portrayal of a slaver to be insufficiently depraved. I suspect it is only American provincialism which prevents recognition of this rich spectacle as a true classic of world cinema. Rated 5/5 Stars •  Rated 5 out of 5 stars 08/23/20 Full Review Read all reviews

Cobra Verde

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