A new crime wave has brought the attention of police commissioner Kras (Gert Frobe), and rumors persist that the crimes are the work of mastermind Dr. Mabuse, a legendary super-criminal thought dead for nearly 30 years. As Kras sets out to find the true culprit, American businessman Henry Travers (Peter van Eyck) finds himself the latest target of Mabuse's machinations.
Fritz Lang returned to Germany and the character that he had so much success with in the 1920's and early 30's. This newer film doesn't rank with those earlier ones, but it's a lot of fun, and was an obvious influence on the later spy films of the 1960's. The mystery of Mabuse's identity isn't very difficult to guess at all, but there are enough interesting characters to fill up the screen and make things enjoyable. Frobe as the dogged policeman, Wolfgang Preiss as a blind psychic, and Howard Vernon as an assassin with a needle gun, are all stand-outs. This was a big hit in Europe, and spawned a whole new series of sequels, but without Lang's participation.
Fritz Lang returned to Germany and the character that he had so much success with in the 1920's and early 30's. This newer film doesn't rank with those earlier ones, but it's a lot of fun, and was an obvious influence on the later spy films of the 1960's. The mystery of Mabuse's identity isn't very difficult to guess at all, but there are enough interesting characters to fill up the screen and make things enjoyable. Frobe as the dogged policeman, Wolfgang Preiss as a blind psychic, and Howard Vernon as an assassin with a needle gun, are all stand-outs. This was a big hit in Europe, and spawned a whole new series of sequels, but without Lang's participation.