The Thousand Eyes Of Dr. Mabuse (1960) ****
For his final film, Fritz Lang (at the behest of producer Arthur Brauner) came full circle to return to the Dr. Mabuse character, created by Norbert Jacques and popularized in two films by Lang decades earlier—1922's Dr. Mabuse: The Gambler (my review here) and 1933's The Testament Of Dr. Mabuse (my review here). After this, many more Mabuse films were made by producer Brauner without Lang's involvement.
The Thousand Eyes Of Dr. Mabuse (1960) makes a case for one of the strongest final movies by a director ever put to film. It's a thrilling, technically flawless drama with expertly staged set pieces, brilliant editing, and a consistently engaging plot. All of the director's trademarks utilized in earlier efforts like Ministry Of Fear (1944) and Cloak And Dagger (1946) (neither of which wowed me) are here crystalized into an actioner to rival most James Bond films.
The themes of surveillance (à la Big Brother), espionage, the effects of Nazism, and nihilism are all at once contemporary (for its time), prescient, and (sadly) topical. There's plenty at work under the surface of a simply entertaining spy flick here, but that comes as no surprise with Lang at the helm. Peter van Eyck feels a little out place at times, but Dawn Addams, Gert Fröbe (who starred as the titular character in the Bond film Goldfinger four years later) and particularly Wolfgang Preiss (in multiple roles so well executed that one wouldn't recognize him if they didn't know in advance) are all excellent.
Thousand Eyes was a perfect way for Lang to close out his Mabuse trilogy and a fitting swan song. It's a tight crime thriller that works even for viewers who may not have seen Lang's previous Mabuse films (though they should).
You can find my Fritz Lang Films Ranked list here.
The Thousand Eyes Of Dr. Mabuse (1960) makes a case for one of the strongest final movies by a director ever put to film. It's a thrilling, technically flawless drama with expertly staged set pieces, brilliant editing, and a consistently engaging plot. All of the director's trademarks utilized in earlier efforts like Ministry Of Fear (1944) and Cloak And Dagger (1946) (neither of which wowed me) are here crystalized into an actioner to rival most James Bond films.
The themes of surveillance (à la Big Brother), espionage, the effects of Nazism, and nihilism are all at once contemporary (for its time), prescient, and (sadly) topical. There's plenty at work under the surface of a simply entertaining spy flick here, but that comes as no surprise with Lang at the helm. Peter van Eyck feels a little out place at times, but Dawn Addams, Gert Fröbe (who starred as the titular character in the Bond film Goldfinger four years later) and particularly Wolfgang Preiss (in multiple roles so well executed that one wouldn't recognize him if they didn't know in advance) are all excellent.
Thousand Eyes was a perfect way for Lang to close out his Mabuse trilogy and a fitting swan song. It's a tight crime thriller that works even for viewers who may not have seen Lang's previous Mabuse films (though they should).
You can find my Fritz Lang Films Ranked list here.
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