The Testament of Dr. Mabuse (1933) *** 1/2 (out of 4) Fritz Lang's follow-up to his 1922 DR. MABUSE: THE GAMBLER finds the crazed doctor locked in a mental asylum where he hasn't said a word since his capture. Overtime he began doing strange drawings but it's nothing more than rubbish. Or is it? Pretty soon an Inspector is investigating these strange writings and whether or not Mabuse is communicating with someone on the outside.Lang once again hits a home run in regards to his beloved Dr. Mabuse character. There's no question that the original movie was a landmark for German cinema and even this film has its place in history. I say this because many believe the film was a warning against the Nazi party that was rising in Germany and it ended up getting the film banned for over twenty years. Lang also left Germany after making this film and wouldn't return until the end of his career. There's a lot going on in THE TESTAMENT OF DR. MABUSE and it's certainly highly entertaining.I think what I enjoyed most about the film is that we are given several strong characters who are doing battle here. Usually in these type of crime films you have a good guy and a bad guy but that's not the case here because we get at least six strong characters. The Inspector was certainly a lot of fun and the evil Dr. Mabuse gets many great scenes. You've also got Kent, a broke man who finally manages to get a job but he isn't quite ready for what he's gotten himself into. There's also a doctor who finds himself knowing a bit too much for his own good.The characters are all extremely strong and help keep the film moving but there's also Lang's masterful direction. There are a lot of twists and turns throughout the film but Lang keeps everything moving at a fast pace and he also manages to not make the film too confusing as to where people can't follow it. Visually the film is quite impressive and especially the "ghosts" and their hauntings. THE TESTAMENT OF DR. MABUSE isn't quite as great as METROPOLIS or M but there's no question that it's another very good picture from Lang.

Those who have never seen this truly bizarre thriller have been missing a rare treat. Yes, it was made way back in 1933. Yes, it is is black-and-white. Yes, it is in German, with subtitles. Don't allow any of that dissuade the viewer, because "The Testament of Dr. Mabuse" remains among the most bizarre and original thrillers ever filmed. Over the decades so many elements from this amazing film have been copied by other filmmakers that it would take far too long to enumerate them here. However, watch this movie and I'm sure you'll have no trouble spotting a dozen examples or so without too much trouble.The story involves a crime wave in a German city that may, or may not, be controlled by an insane criminal mastermind who, for the past ten years, has been existing in a catatonic state in an insane asylum (they used to call them that in those days). Viewers who considered Terry Gilliam's "12 Monkeys" to be really original and bizarre will be astounded at just how far ahead of his time Fritz Lang actually was.In addition there were serious political overtones to "The Testament Dr Mabuse". Whether those political overtones were intentional or not is still a matter of debate. However, there is no question that the idea of a movie about a mad criminal genius assuming power was not lost on Adolf Hitler's Nazi regime, which assumed power in Germany the very same year this movie was produced. The result was that the movie was immediately banned in its home country and Fritz Lang had to make a hasty departure for Hollywood. For that reason alone this movie would be worth seeing, even it were not as remarkable a piece of film- making as it is.

Could Dr. Mabuse, long confined to an asylum for the criminally insane, also be the mysterious mastermind whose gang is terrorizing the city? Inspector Lohmann is determined to find out in a visually startling, Expressionistic thriller that unspools like a cliffhanging serial. Director Fritz Lang's uniquely Teutonic vision blends Gothic horror with tabloid crime and the megalomaniacal Dr. Mabuse is another kind of genius ...as in the anti-Christ. His plans for the human race include global chaos via an "empire of crime" -in other words, evil for evil's sake, an anarchistic philosophy worthy of the Marquis De Sade. It's also a death wish in mankind's collective subconscious and a potent prism that can be played for laughs as in John Waters' FEMALE TROUBLE where "crime is beauty" or as an all-too-real phenomenon like Charles Manson's "Helter Skelter". The film was banned in Nazi Germany (what were they afraid of?) and has the kind of diabolical villainy that never goes out of style. It's also a (not too) distant relative of the German krimi and possibly James Bond. Highly recommended.

Let's begin with what bothered me about 'Das testament...'. A lot of actions did seem very credible to me, but had much to do with providing the director with some interesting visual and tension-building opportunities, I would guess. For instance, when in the first part, Hofmeister is discovered, the two crooks do not catch him, but first go wait for him by the door, then even go outside to stage a big ambush. They could have easily caught him the first time around, but admittedly, this way it's all the more exciting. The same goes for the way Mabuse wants to kill the two lovers; why blow up a building and not use a toxic gas, for instance. Again, how this scene evolves, with the waterworks and all, is so much more exciting to watch, I'll admit it. Then there is the attack on Dr. Kramm: why shoot him, when the great Dr. Mabuse and his perfect schemes are able to make every killing look like an accident (which may also be considered a problem with the intended blowing up of the two lovers)? And speaking of the seemingly infallible Dr. Mabuse: what's going with him in the end? He doesn't seem to have any other plans than to blow up a chemical factory on 'his own' (through Dr. Baum)... where are his henchmen? Is this his idea of world domination / destruction?On top of that, I found the final part to be too long and unfocused. The bad guys getting caught in the apartment, many explosions at the chemical factory, a long, long ride back to the institute (after Baum gets caught in the spotlights too easily) and the ending that only worked partly. I mean, why not let Mabuse's personality take over Hofmeister and let him be 'the new criminal mastermind'? Baum could have still been declared 'crazy' (with guilt over what did under the influence of Mabuse). Well, there's my two cents on what went wrong there...By the way: I haven't read much about this film, but did anyone else notice that the scenes where the henchmen 'meet' Dr. Mabuse for their orders may have inspired some David Lynch for 'some stuff' in 'Mulhholland Drive'? Anyhoo, I complained a lot, now it's time for the laurels. The film is off to a great start, even if it doesn't make a 100% sense (one could argue plenty about that one, though). Then, there are injections of tense drama (Kent wanting to go against Mabuse, but all the while thinking of his dear Lilli), detective 'shenannigans' (Lohman is brutal, but with a just and sympathetic edge), a megalomaniac criminal scheme (what Mabuse is playing at, seems to be a total putsch, not just a simple crime wave - of course, with Germany '33 in mind...), (supernatural) mind control to back it up and tons of dialogs and monologues which actually have something to say - even down to the romantic part where Lilli and Kent have their passionate clash. Yes, this is still one to watch again and again.Plus: 'Das testament...' has a visual attraction that stands (way, way) out, particularly those with the ghosts (/madness), but even a simple idea of two lovers put in the same room facing their death works wonderfully. The acting is all pretty much okay up to great; even if Lohman is somewhat of an exaggerated character, it works, and other ones that caught my eye were Hofmeister, Kent, Lilli and, of course! Dr. Mabuse himself; one of the creepiest movie villains yet.In conclusion, I think you'll be able to understand as to why I'm able to forgive this film quite a lot, but I can unfortunately not give out the highest rating. A big 8 out of 10 for now, perhaps it will be 9 one day. Did somebody whisper remake? No, I thought not...