The Return of Dr. Mabuse (1961)

Yawn. Poorly Filmed Snooze Fest.

everything you have heard about this movie is true.

The joyful confection is coated in a sparkly gloss, bright enough to gleam from the darkest, most cynical corners.

Very good movie overall, highly recommended. Most of the negative reviews don't have any merit and are all pollitically based. Give this movie a chance at least, and it might give you a different perspective.

"Im Stahlnetz des Dr. Mabuse" or "The Return of Dr. Mabuse" is a German movie from 55 years ago that continues the story of the famous Dr. Mabuse that was already a crowd pleaser several decades earlier during the silent film era. It mixes once again the usual formula of making a movie about a criminal mastermind and include some film-noir and horror references. Plus there is of course always a beautiful female. The film is like all/most of the others in black-and-white. Unfortunately, the story is usually underwhelming. looking at how Sean Connery's James Bond was born at the same time in the United States, it becomes painfully obvious how inferior German cinema was around that time. The crimes as a whole are fairly uninteresting and the writing is not really inspired. The only thing that kept this from being a total disappointment for me is probably the fact that Gert Fröbe was on board and I am quite a fan. The title is pretty nice too, but nothing in the film lives up to it. Also you can occasionally see references to all the German Edgar Wallace crime films, so if you like these, then you may even enjoy this Mabuse movie. I don't like them either. My favorite scene in here was maybe when the guy sits in the shadows and the cop shoots him before we find out he was just a puppet on Mabuse's strings. But there weren't many more good scenes like this. Certainly not enough, even for a film that is fairly short at 85 minutes. I don't recommend the watch. Thumbs down.

As I generally greatly detest sequels, reboots and the like, especially of great filmic franchises created and led by outstanding filmmakers (ie., the Mabuse character and Fritz Lang) I initially had quite guarded reservations about seeing Reinl's version here. But it had significant strengths that made me quickly realize my fears were undeserved and that I, in fact, was in for a treat. The pace is whipcrack, the plot is intense and in Commissioner Lohmann, the villainous 'Goldfinger' (an excellent Gert Fröbe) pulls off a gritty cross between an Ed Asner and a Popeye Doyle-era Gene Hackman. I love how one of the ways Mabuse resorts to do away with pests pays homage to Lang's 'The Testament of Dr. Mabuse' from three decades prior. It certainly made me wary of churches, one-legged men and even laundry workers, for crying out loud, and part of the fear the film brings across is because in the back of our minds, we know this is precisely how the Nazis operated, studying fluoride as a mind-control agent. If there is any negative I got from the film, the Berlin police department (good ol' Lohmann notwithstanding) seemed the most unintelligent and incompetent sleuthing force this side of Inspector Clouseau. Definitely recommended for fans of thrillers and spy films.

Director Harald Reinl(The Torture Chamber of Dr. Sadism)helms this solid, complex Krimi, another entertaining entry in the Dr. Mabuse series starring Gert Fröbe(..the great Bond villain, Goldfinger)as an inspector, Lohmann, investigating a case in regards to several murders connected to a crime syndicate. Lohmann soon discovers that the murders are connected to a prison ran by Warden Wolf(Fausto Tozzi)with certain prisoners, hypnotized and operating at another's orders, willing to kill for the mastermind over their control, that being Dr. Mabuse himself. Along for the ride are Lex Barker, as a double agent, Joe Corno/Nick Scappio and reporter Dahlia Lavi(..as Maria Sabrehm). As the mystery unravels, Maria is actually daughter to a brilliant chemist unjustly sent to prison, Professor Julius Sabrehm, who has reluctantly provided the chemical agent which removes the humanity of prisoners, which conditions them to follow orders at the will of their controller. Werner Peters is Böhmler, whose responsibilities are to keep the prisoners in line, and secretly reports to Mabuse. Rudolf Fernau is Pfarrer Briefenstein, a suspicious priest, who may also be part of Mabuse's network, operatives using his church as a base. The movie's plot stays busy, keeping your mind occupied, as Lohmann attempts to tear apart the syndicate with Mabuse quietly orchestrating a plot to attack an atomic power plant using the zombie prisoners. Characters like Joe Como and Maria have their own agendas, so the film often keeps you guessing as to the characters' motivations and who Lohmann can trust. It was neat seeing Fröbe in the detective role, trying to uncover the truth as to where Mabuse is located(..if it is even Mabuse;he's supposed to be dead)and how to stop him. Lavi is just to die for, positively gorgeous, with those wonderful curves..what a fine specimen. I thought RETURN OF DR MABUSE was quite atmospheric with a fine detective story that maintains interest, even if you can figure out the mastermind of the operation. I liked the mad science aspects as to how Mabuse commands his zombie soldiers and watching Lohmann's response to the diabolical criminal..the cat-and-mouse between the two always keeps the plot interesting. I also liked how Lohmann isn't the most perfect inspector, sometimes outwitted by Mabuse(..of course, he does put together the pieces of the puzzle, but Mabuse, at times, gains the upper hand).Intriguing idea regarding Mabuse's use of criminals, his main base of operations being a prison..talk about thumbing your nose to the police!

One of the better Mabuse-films of post-war West-Germany. Of course, none of these films came even close to the famous Mabuse original from the 20-ies. Dr. Mabuse is a mad scientist who uses his power to control and manipulate other minds. He is difficult to track and has the unpleasant feature of killing someone or lancing a coup in the most unexpected places and times. Usually, he uses devices as electronic mind-manipulators or hypnosis and has a gang of criminals at his disposal who carry out his orders and usually don't even know that their leader is the feared Mabuse. In the Dr.-Mabuse-sequels he was killed or hunted down several times but only to escape with mad genius and to appear another time. What makes this film interesting is the style and the scenic decoration with which the dark emotion and the mysteriousness are displayed that Dr. Mabuse implies. Supporting the mysterious atmosphere is that the film is made in black-and-white and the use of light has more effect on the atmosphere, although it is sometimes to theatralic. Some creepy details are remarkable for example masks or busts standing in a psychiatrist's office that contribute to the morbide background. Mabuse should be perceived like an unstoppable ghost - a task that has been very well accomplished. It has some kind of psycho-atmosphere - you can trust no one (maybe Mabuse has just manipulated your girlfriend's mind or a bling beggar is killing you on the street). The actors of this film are fairly unimpressive especially the unbearable Lex Barker who doesn't fit in this movie at all. The sole exception is the grummy Gert Froebe who plays the commissar once again and (for native-germans) can work with his saxonian dialect as well as putting his large body in police-like behaviour that is fun for anyone to watch as he is the only serious actor in this movie. Measured with international standards this film is a mediocre and unimpressive work and certainly not remarkable. But for german cinema it has a traditional connection with the Edgar-Wallace-movies that appeared at the same time. The Doktor-Mabuse-films use the same methods to create mystery, crime and psychological fear. Almost all of them are made in black-and-white and share the same pool of german actors that emerged in the 50-ies and 60-ies. This film is more interesting for someone who likes these pseudo-thrillers (as me) as for someone who wants to watch a serious movie. This film distinguishes itself as it is one of the more serious of the Mabuse-series with the plot being more conclusive and the solution of the case being more believable. And Gert Froebe's acting is noteworthy as it enriches this more or less pale movie.