Film
What's on at the cinema plus reviews of the latest movie and DVD releases
Bookmark this pageInvincible (2001)
Director: Werner Herzog
Movie review
From Time Out Film Guide
Herzog's first narrative feature in a decade is an embarrassment. Backed by FilmFour and consequently presented in what sounds like dubbed English, his Weimar-era fable aims for simplicity and innocence but comes off as simpleminded and naive. The promising material concerns Zishe (Ahola), a blacksmith in a Polish schtetl whose colossal strength catches the eye of a showbiz agent with car trouble. Persuaded to pursue his destiny in Berlin, Zishe is put on stage in Hanussen's Theatre of the Occult club as 'Siegfried the Gladiator', the strongest man in the world. The club is a favourite haunt of the Nazis, who flock to hear the seer Hanussen (Roth), so when the lovesick Zishe declares himself a Jew, chaos erupts. Unfortunately, the confusion extends to the film itself. The sluggish pace, broken-backed storytelling and unspeakable dialogue leave the non-professional actors spooning like fish out of water. Even more surprising is the film's visual poverty. Its most memorable image - a plague of red crabs - is recycled from the director's documentary Little Dieter Needs to Fly.Author: TCh
Cast & crew
Director: Werner Herzog
Producer: Gary Bart, Werner Herzog, Christine Ruppert
Cast: Tim Roth, Jouko Ahola, Anna Gourari, Max Raabe, Jacob Wein, Gustav Peter Wöhler, Udo Kier, Herbert Golder, Gary Bart, Renate Krössner full cast
Duration: 133 mins
Most popular on this site
Top Stories
Has David Cronenberg turned tame?
Has director David Cronenberg veered too far from his radical and bloody roots with new film 'A Dangerous Method'?
The 10 worst date movies
Just in time for Valentine's Day, we present ten of the least romantic films ever made
Where to watch this year's Oscar-nominated films
Find out where to watch 2012's Oscar-nominated films in London cinemas
10 unlikely badboy biopics
Featuring Phil Collins, Jeremy Clarkson, Nick Clegg, David Starkey and a host of other unlikely subjects
Interview: Sean Durkin on 'Martha Marcy May Marlene'
The first-time director of the brilliant new thriller discusses religious cults and robot boxing
Pop-up cinema for Valentine's Day
Side-step romantic clichés with some alternative Valentine’s viewing
What do you think?
Post your review now