Dr. M

I quite liked this movie, and intend to watch it a few more times in order to peel off a few more of the layers of meaning Chabrol has woven together. I think most people would find the movie incomprehensible if they didn't know that this is a quasi-remake of Fritz Lang's 1922 masterpiece, "Dr. Mabuse, The Gambler". The "Dr. M" of the title is Chabrol's way of indicating that we are once again in the presence of the bad doctor - not just *a* villain, but THE villain, the ultimate bad guy, genius and madman. Marsfeldt/Mabuse is a pure nihilist in this outing; he's not trying to conquer the world, but to destroy it. His total contempt for humanity drives him to eradicate life wherever he can; he doesn't even bother with Hitler's excuse that he's clearing away the deadwood to make way for a master race. Marsfeldt wants nothing but death and destruction for their own sake. As usual, the plans of the criminal mastermind are disrupted by emotion - in this case, Marsfeldt's weakness for his adopted daughter, Sonja, which prevents him from eliminating her when she becomes a danger to his plans. Alan Bates plays the avuncular father-figure with a compelling creepiness; on the surface he's kind and concerned, but you can't help noticing that every time he touches her, his fingers seem to sink into her flesh like claws, and he kisses her with far too much intensity, leading Sonja to slightly shrink away every time he approaches her. His performance is the best, but Benoît Régent is also good as the high-strung Stieglitz, trapped in a job that's killing his soul, yet unable to disappoint his friend and partner Hartman by leaving. In the end, everyone is guilty to some extent, and only by acting and refusing to yield to despair are Sonja and Claus able to thwart Marsfeldt's plan.

This is not a good film. Check out the rave reviews. They are left from people who think they have more intellect than you. They make comments like "most people won't understand this movie."

That's poor writing not superior intelligence.

The film is a very low budget fare. The story line is not compelling. And who cares if it's a quasi remake of Dr. Mabuse? So it's a bad version of it.

It reminds me more of Alphaville than Dr. Mabuse. Just not as good.

To begin with, I vividly recall reading the mixed newspaper review of this one when it was surprisingly released locally; needless to say, I missed it at the time and, until earlier this year, never again did I have the opportunity to check it out. In fact, it turned up – alas, dubbed – on late-night Italian TV and, though I did record it, I recently opted to acquire the English-language version…which is just as well, since two deleted scenes were included in the package! Anyway, knowing the flak the film has received (which was practically universal), I really did not know what to expect from it. However, I must say that I liked it quite a bit, while acknowledging it cannot hold a candle to any of Fritz Lang's movies revolving around the influential figure of criminal mastermind Dr. Mabuse (here, the name has even been changed to Marsfeldt!). Incidentally, the actor most identified with the role (in a revival series of 1960s low-budget efforts) i.e. Wolfgang Preiss appears here as the Chief Of Police!

Perhaps the film does at times feel like one of the many German TV cop shows which have flooded the market from the 1970s and still continue to this day, but there is no denying the grip of the narrative (which tried, but unfortunately failed, to be prophetic when the Berlin Wall got torn down only months before the picture debuted!). Equally striking is the imagery pertaining to mass suicide (the most disturbing being a child waiter in full view of the patrons at a swank and busy restaurant), media manipulation and wasted disco-crazy youth (appropriately bleak though, I concede, not all that original).

The intense performances are also a plus: particularly Alan Bates as the outwardly charming but obviously sinister Dr. M and Jan Niklas as the disenchanted yet dogged cop on his trail of terror, though heroine Jennifer Beals proves no mere purveyor of eye candy either. Indeed, Bates' occasional resort to hamminess (especially when he passes himself off as a psychedelic guru at a desert holiday resort and spouting his nihilistic credo to an incredulous, disgusted Beals and Niklas during the climax – set in the Doctor's obligatory 'control room' – all the while connected to a life-support system!) are perfectly in keeping with the fanciful goings-on. The eclectic cast also includes the likes of Euro-Cult regular William Berger, future Italian TV presenter Daniela Poggi and former "Brat Pack"-er Andrew McCarthy in small roles.

In the end, while it may fall short of Chabrol's best work, the film nonetheless makes for a thought-provoking, stylized and yet entertaining parable on our less-than-reassuring times (incidentally, its suggestion/fear of the millennium as the 'end of days' is pretty amusing at this juncture).

Good idea for a moody futuristic thriller, nice art direction and location photage of Berlin cannot help this european movie mess. Famous french director Chabrol is at a loss with german actors speaking english and lovely Jennifer Beals given no direction at all. It all seems totally unrehearsed one-take filming. Bad sound and lighting do not help. A chance to make an atmospheric Blade Runneresque thriller went down the E.U. drain. A dull waste with interesting ideas worth a remake.

There is a massive wave of suicide in Berlin, some of them causing accidents with hundreds of casualties on both sides of Berlin. The population believes it is caused by a virus and there is an exodus of Berliners that travel through Club Theratos, an agency promoted by the model Sonja Vogler (Jennifer Beals) in several screened billboards, television and magazines. In West Berlin, Lt. Klaus Hartman (Jan Niklas), who lost his wife Nina two years ago after committing suicide, and his partner Sgt. Stieglitz (Benoît Régent) are relentless in the investigation. He believes that the suicides are murders indeed. When the snoopy journalist from Eastern Berlin, Moser (Hanns Zischler), breaks in the Club Theratos, he finds that the owner Heinrich Marsfeldt (Alan Bates) is the responsible for the deaths, and is using his stepdaughter Sonja to hypnotize the population. Further, he intends to use the popular show of the host Veidt (Peter Fitz) to induce the viewers to commit suicide. Will Hartman and Sonja be capable of stopping his evil plan?

"Dr. M" (1990) is a different movie by Claude Chabrol with a futuristic view of Berlin, the same way Jean-Luc Goddard made "Alphavile" in 1965 meaning a different genre from these two filmmakers. The plot is confused, and it is never clear whether Dr. Marsfeldt is only lunatic or has the interest to increase business in his travel agency. But why the police officer is helping him? In the end, this film seems better when watched for the second time, although totally different from Chabrol's style. My vote is six.

Title (Brazil): "Dr. M - Dr. Mabuse e Seu Destino" ("Dr. M - Dr. Mabuse and His Fate")