The Testament of Dr. Mabuse

Banned in Germany in 1933. Easy to see why - this movie contains a virtual blueprint for the destruction of Berlin but it also hints at the madness of the Nazi uprising. Pretty engaging from start to finish, though it lags in the last 15 minutes, despite having a car chase that looks like a cross between the opening credits to Lost Highway and an old arcade game called Night Driver. Might be just be my favourite Lang talkie overtaking M and slightly behind Spionnen as the best overall Lang. Deals with a criminal mastermind who can astrally project, ghostly possess and telepathically hypnotise. Pretty wild for 1933. The humour is pretty offbeat - the surreal insanity of the undercover cop, the charmingly idiotic naivette of the girl who falls in love with one of the henchmen. The pacing is excellent and the plot may seemed hackneyed only because countless films have adopted its elements. My only grumble is that the ghost looks a bit like Yoda. Great, nonetheless and a huge leap from the tepid Dr. Mabuse The Gambler (the first chapter of this trilogy).