Dr. M (1990)

User Rating:

4.6/10   

Director:

Claude Chabrol

Writers:

Norbert Jacques (novel)
Thomas Bauermeister (story)

Release Date:

24 May 1990 (West Germany)

Genre:

Crime | Mystery | Sci-Fi

Plot:

In the not-too-distant future Berlin is shocked by a series of spectacular suicides; a policeman's investigations lead him to a beautiful...

Plot Keywords:

Suicide | Shot Through The Mouth | Impalement | Dead Child | Impaled Child

Cast

Alan Bates	...	Dr. Marsfeldt / Guru
Jennifer Beals	...	Sonja Vogler
Jan Niklas	...	Lt. Claus Hartman
Hanns Zischler	...	Moser
Benoît Régent	...	Stieglitz
Alexander Radszun	...	Engler
Peter Fitz	...	Veidt
Daniela Poggi	...	Kathi
William Berger	...	Penck
Michael Degen	...	Reimar von Geldern
Wolfgang Preiss	...	Kessler
Isolde Barth	...	Mrs. Sehr
Andrew McCarthy	...	Assassin
Tobias Hoesl	...	Achim
Béatrice Macola	...	Anna

Also Known As:

Club Extinction (USA) (video title)
Docteur M. (France) (alternative spelling)

Runtime:

112 min

Country:

Germany | France | Italy

Language:

English

Color:

Color

Certification:

Australia:M | UK:18 | USA:R | West Germany:16 | Argentina:16

Filming Locations:

Berlin, Germany

Company:

Clea Productions S.A.

Trivia:

Chabrol makes two in-joke references to the original Dr. Mabuse movie, of which this is a remake: a trucker named 'Rudi Klein-Rogge', after the actor who portrayed Mabuse in the 1922 movie, and a policeman who falsely gives his name as 'Lang', after the director Fritz Lang.

Movie Connections:

Spin off from Die unsichtbaren Krallen des Dr. Mabuse (1962)

Chabrol's tribute to Fritz Lang

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.