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Information
- A.k.a.
- The Testament of Dr. Mabuse
- Year
- 1933
- Runtime
- 122 min.
- Director
- Fritz Lang
- Genres
- Crime, Thriller, Mystery
- Rating *
- 7.9
- Votes *
- 8,163
- Checks
- 2,992
- Favs
- 322
- Dislikes
- 18
- Favs/checks
- 10.8% (1:9)
- Favs/dislikes
- 18:1
Top comments
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Siskoid
Dr. Mabuse is a name I'd heard, a pulp villain who would give Moriarty or Fu Manchu a run for their money (he even went up against Sherlock Holmes in the old TV series, didn't he?), but my first exposure to the character has him pretty much working from beyond the quote-unquote grave in Fritz Lang's The Testament of Dr. Mabuse, a sequel to another of his films, adapted from the original novel during his silent period. Shades of M, the film has a procedural bent as police try to figure out the complex crimes being committed in Mabuse's name, even though the master criminal has been catatonic since the events of the first film. His creepy terrorism manifesto is in play though, so is someone following his blueprint for anarchy, or is he running the show from a mental institution. Or possibly... both? We also follow an unwilling participant in the crimes trying to make a fresh start with his lady love, and how they have to get out of one of Mabuse's death traps, a pretty cool sequence. Lang once again presents interesting characters in well thought-out situations, and he pleasantly uses a lot of trick photography to simulate mad visions, but also to create effective transitions. With so many plot threads running, he's also his usual unrestrained self, but while you may wonder if it's all necessary, there are moments even in the superfluous romance that you wouldn't want to part with. 4 years 9 months ago
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Login to see which of your friends have seen this movie!In 13 official lists
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This movie ranks #10 in 101 Gangster Movies You Must See Before You Die
101 Gangster Movies You …
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This movie ranks #16 in iCheckMovies's 1930s Top 100
iCheckMovies's 1930s Top…
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This movie ranks #23 in IMDb's 1930s Top 50
IMDb's 1930s Top 50
23 -
This movie ranks #36 in Kinemathekverbund's The 100 Most Important German Films
Kinemathekverbund's The …
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This movie ranks #111 in Mark Cousins's The Story of Film: An Odyssey
Mark Cousins's The Story…
111 -
This movie ranks #117 in Eureka!'s The Masters of Cinema Series
Eureka!'s The Masters of…
117 -
This movie ranks #122 in David Thomson's Have You Seen?
David Thomson's Have You…
122 -
This movie ranks #136 in Jonathan Rosenbaum's Essential Cinema
Jonathan Rosenbaum's Ess…
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This movie ranks #274 in The Criterion Collection
The Criterion Collection
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This movie ranks #536 in Sight & Sound's The Greatest Films of All Time
Sight & Sound's The Grea…
536 -
This movie ranks #572 in TSPDT's 1,000 Greatest Films
TSPDT's 1,000 Greatest F…
572 -
This movie ranks #852 in TSPDT's 1,000 Noir Films
TSPDT's 1,000 Noir Films
852 -
This movie ranks #898 in TSZDT's The 1,000 Greatest Horror Films
TSZDT's The 1,000 Greate…
898