"This Mabuse has only pretensions to myth; he's as mortal as they come and Lang's film slowly (very slowly) leads him down a Fibonacci-spiraled path to the one true salvation--insanity." - Keith Uhlich

87.625

The story never really warrants a 4 hour running time, but on the other hand it's always at least partially interesting. Klein-Rogge is great as the titular doctor, though his mind powers and motivations are always a little vague. Kipnapping the countess to, what, wait for Stockholm Syndrome to kick in? Still, the constant struggle between Mabuse and Von Wenk is rather neat. The last 30 minutes is pretty damn great all-over.

argh I so wanted to like this but it just drags and drags and drags. The second part picks things up, but not significantly.

NO FRITZ LANG WHAT HAVE YOU DOOOOONE

Doesn't need to be 4 hours, but the length is the only drawback to an otherwise wonderful crime film. It's got some well executed twists and turns, memorable characters and is quite a bit of fun.

#635

DW Griffith devised the base of film language only a few years earlier, and yet the storytelling here is not a whole lot less complex than that of today's most winding thrillers. This movie trusts its audience so much that it barely introduces its characters. It kind of just jumps right into things, but at 4 1/2 hours long finding the time for developing characters was not a real problem. Unfortunately its complexity results in too much dialogue for silent, and hence a barrage of title cards.

Very slow moving and detail-oriented, kind of feels like a pulp novella (which it is based I suppose). Filled with techniques and ideas that will influence directors like Hitchcock and Hawks and even features a car equipped with sleeping gas, as well as a reversable numbers plate. If you are unfamiliar with the Weimar Republic and Hitler's rise to power, it might be beneficial reading up on that before watching this 4 1/2 hour epic.

The original Dr. Mabuse is a thrilling, moody epic, which surprisingly, for its running time, rarely drags. The first act, from the robbery on the train through Mabuse's introduction and stock market machinations, is brilliant, and sets the tone for the convoluted cat and maus plot that meticulously unfolds over the next four and a half hours. It's mesmerizing, yo.

- What do you think about Expressionism, Doctor? + Like anything else, it's a pastime.

628

An entertaining cat-and-mouse game with some very nice expressionist flourishes. I'd have to say that it doesn't have the epic sweep to justify its 4 1/2 hour running time. Also there's a kind of Looney Tunes concept of hypnotism here, but willing suspension of disbelief and all that. The opening scene involves a scheme remarkably similar to the one seen 60 years later in Trading Places.

# 592

The film is extremely accomplished, both in its narrative scope and in the technical aspects. Lang's use of space alternately dwarfs his weaker characters and highlights the strength of his villain. That said, the film overstays its welcome with its four-and-a-half hour run time, even though Lang paces the film well, it's just too long to want to revisit.

Some sweet ideas and an awesome ending, but dang, it's a chore at four and a half hours long. It gives you more thinking time than Testament, although The Gambler doesn't require it as much. Epic in length, but not in breadth.

695

Powerful, but unnecessarily complicated film

a very good film, but its length prevents me from recommending it to anyone but silent film enthusiasts