Based on the play by Georg Buchner about Franz Woyzeck : Klaus Kinski as an unfortunate and hopeless soldier . Mired in the ranks of the Germany Army he finds alone and powerless against a ruthless society and a rigid military authority that exploits him , as well as being harassed by his superiors and tortured in bizarre scientific experiments . Tormented by rare visions and weird voices , betrayed by his wife : Eva Mattes , in public by the unbearable weight of social and sexual oppression , he is increasingly pushed to the edge .
Chilling and sad portrayal of a man plunging into insanity when he is assaulted from all sides by forces he can not control , being caught between the cruel command , poverty and his distant wife . Werner Herzog's film is based upon a prestigious play dealing with a very strange , mysterious and bizarre character , gradually devolving into maniac instinct . Not the same dizzy folly as Aguirre , but Herzog´s similarly long perspective conjures as a brooding and thought-provoking film of man's aimless tracks throughout an egoistic society and harsh vision of human suffering beyond despair , eventually cracking when he discovers his wife's infedility . Here there are echoes of prestigious authors as Shakespeare , Beltor Bretch , Samuel Beckett , among others . Klaus Kinski gives a portentous interpretation in the title role as the hapless soldier who snaps when he learns his wife is having an affair. Along with Eva Mattes who is pretty well too , as his unfaithful spouse .
The motion picture was competently directed by Werner Herzog, though some may find hard to take . This great German director Herzog has made several thoughtful , provoking and interesting films , such as : "Fata Morgana" , "Aguirre Wrath of God" , "The Enigma of Kaspar Hauser", "Heart of Glass" , "Stroszek", "Woyzeck" , "Nosferatu the Vampire", "Where the Green Ants Dream" , "Cobra Verde" ,"Lessons in Darkness", "My Dearest Enemy", "Invincible" , "The White Diamond", "Grizzly Man", "Rescue Dawn" , among others. Rating : 7/10 above average and irresistible movie thanks to Kiski's extraordinary performance . The flick will appeal to Werner Herzog and Klaus Kinski followers.
