Nick M
An evil genius uses his psychological powers of manipulation to con people in high stakes gambling dens and control their minds. He rarely wears the same face twice, giving him the ability to ply his dastardly trade repeatedly under the noses of his previous victims, and those trying to stop him. Dr. Mabuse is Fritz Lang's contribution to the brand of crime drama that was popularized a decade before by Louis Feuillade in the serial Fantômas in which a master criminal carries out his mischief for the sheer thrill of it through the aid of disguises, cunning traps, and ingenious devices and techniques all while hounded by a detective who will stop at nothing to bring him to justice. The tale is told in two parts spanning 4.5 hours which makes parts of it feel interminable, but that is my only true complaint (well, that and it can get quite confusing at times). Much of it feels snappy and exciting, and the art direction is just phenomenal. Interesting ornamental details are found everywhere, but the pièce de résistance is the outrageously modish home of Dusy Countess Told. It is a visual feast that combines expressionist paintings and sculpture with African-inspired design elements. The chandelier in the main room is stunning, and the sculpted sconces in the poker room knocked my socks off. The cinematography and lighting are also vibrant and exciting. At one point while the detective is under Dr. Mabuse's spell the camera narrows its focus steadily until only the doctor is in frame, the light receding until all we see is his face and his malevolent, piercing gaze. In another scene we are treated with real showmanship to the design of an elaborate gambling table-turned-stage with a circular cut out in the center for the host. The camera pans around the table as the host follows with his body to create an effect that was highly unusual for the time - an ingenious variation of the Cabiria shot. Fritz Lang is really coming into his own at this point. The style and enthusiasm with which he tells this story is electrifying, as is the final confrontation and denouement. The acting isn't stupendous; there really aren't many breakout performances. The one exception is Rudolf Klein-Rogge, who plays the eponymous Dr. Mabuse. He was perfectly cast as the sociopathic villain. His impossibly high arched eyebrow over that penetrating gaze is enough to sell the performance by itself: one gets the impression that you are a mouse being hunted by a fiendish owl. I am not ready to cry "masterpiece", but that is really only because it could have used some editing. 4.5 hours, even split over two films, is just too much, and the picture begins to sag under the weight of it. That being said, it still feels like required viewing for appreciators of silent cinema.
Rated 4.5/5 Stars •
Rated 4.5 out of 5 stars
02/07/25
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Alexander B
It's way to long a film by today's standards but it did feature some great cinematography and comic relief moments. I don't recommend it for every one but silent film lovers would enjoy it.
Rated 2.5/5 Stars •
Rated 2.5 out of 5 stars
02/06/23
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William L
You thought Les Vampires was long? At leas that silent-era crime epic was intended to be watched in several pieces, as opposed to this behemoth, but then again, Lang compensates with a much more deliberate plot. Dr. Mabuse, the Gambler is a testament to the old claim that "a film is only as good as its villain" - Klein-Rogge's titular man of many faces and vague capabilities is actually pretty fantastic. He relies on and relishes in manipulating human behavior, whether through hypnosis (which is a bit of a cop out as a capability, but hey, it's 1922), or more interestingly, through identifying and exploiting flaws or taking advantage of some sort of emotional connection. However, despite the intricacies of his crime and unique strengths, he's far from invulnerable himself, often falling victim to vice and with madness constantly knocking on the door of his world that relies on just how carefully he must present himself to continue his nefarious conduct. His power hinges on knowledge and the ability to avoid detection in assembling it, all in a particularly chaotic environment. The actual plots are secondary and are often of dubious interest, and the runtime is quite formidable, but it's worth it to see Mabuse, in many ways a post-WWI Harry Lime, carrying with him much of the same social criticism. (4/5)
Rated 4/5 Stars •
Rated 4 out of 5 stars
01/23/21
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s r
1001 movies to see before you die. A bit too long and the first part threw everything in and the kitchen sink. Regardless, it was a trend setter. The second part was much more structured and followed a better narrative.
Rated 3/5 Stars •
Rated 3 out of 5 stars
03/31/23
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spencer p
Crazily paced, unfocused, but still somewhat satisfactory in the end.
Rated 2/5 Stars •
Rated 2 out of 5 stars
03/30/23
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Audience Member
It's wonderful to finally see Lang's first Dr. Mabuse film in it's original 4 1/2 hour cut. It's certainly a huge investment of time, but I found this to be an extremely rewarding experience. The film isn't as visually extravagant as "Metropolis", but there's some magnificent imagery here and a wonderful aura of corruption and Weimar sleaze. There's a tendency to associate silent films with broad, out-sized flamboyant acting, but I was struck by how reserved the performances really are here and by some of the incredible economy in the narrative (odd to say for a film that takes half a day to watch, but it's quite episodic and is more like a serial than a feature film). The only downside is that the copy airing on Netflix has some pretty extreme problems with interlacing that detracted a bit from the experience.
Rated 4.5/5 Stars •
Rated 4.5 out of 5 stars
02/01/23
Full Review
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