Invincible (2002)

Always beware of films whose top-billed actor only appears for half the movie. Doubtlessly you've seen the posters splaying Tim Roth's name on top; you've seen the DVD cover showing Tim Roth exclusively; you've seen the previews that lead you to believe T.R. is the man. Well, let's clear this up right now... It's a 2-hour movie, and the top-billed actor is in less than 50 mins of it.The rest of the film features what appear to be extras forced into leading roles. And their contrived performances and contrived lines are made all the more mediocre when contrasted against Roth's powerful, Mephistophelian presence. Still, he manages to carry the entire troupe (much like the story of the Jewish hero who supposedly carries the entire weight of his powerless flock), but without him the movie crumbles.So if you must watch this film, start at the 30min mark, and shut it off at around 1hr 20min or whenever Tim makes his last scene. In the scenes in between when he leaves the screen you can get up and fix yourself a sammich.Now let's get on Herzog's case for a minute. The man infuriates me, because his early career brought us masterpieces like "Fitzcarraldo" and "Aguirre" (one of my top 13 films of all time) but after Klaus Kinski left the picture, Herzog's efforts have been one dud after another, slowly sinking into a morass of incoherent ramblings. It becomes very apparent that Herzog is nothing without his "better half"--an electrifying lead actor such as Kinski or, as I had hoped, Roth.But instead, Herzog attempts to fly on his own and fails. He evidently does not know how to mold actors as a director should, otherwise we would not have been subjected to such amateur performances as we see here. I don't believe these people were bad actors; they just had no direction. And the inane lines they were saying--! I don't know if it's the language barrier or what, but Herzog should really stick to German scripts.I could get into finer criticisms about uneven camera-work (such as Herzog's rare indulgence in using cranes, dollies and zooms which contrast abruptly with his trademark hand-held shots), or i could expose some terribly sappy plot twists (like a sudden, awkward romance that culminates in a bizarre orchestra appearing out of nowhere), or I could really lay into Herzog for ostensibly trying to tell a tale of Jewish heroism whilst portraying "common Jews" to be impotent, apathetic sheep (unless that was his intent? I'm not sure), but for one reason or another I found half of this movie to be almost unbearably lame.If you're a fan of Herzog-Kinski, then make no mistake... The magic is gone.

This movie is closest in tone to Roberto Benini's "Life is Beautiful" It is a fairy tale set in the time of Nazi Germany. Just as Benini's movie gave us a fairy tale of a Jewish man turning a concentration camp into a child's game, this movie has a Jewish super-hero directly challenging the Nazi's concept of a German Master Race.Actually it takes place just prior to the Nazi's real take-over of Germany. This gives us a chance to see the transition from sunlight to to the Nazi Night. In this aspect and in its portrayal of the entertainment world of the German elite, it also evokes "Cabaret".There's great acting here by Tim Roth and Jouko Ahola. They start off as stereotypes, but manage to add depth without ever humanizing the characters. They add dimensions without abandoning their original characters.I think anybody who loved "Cabaret" and "Life is Beautiful" will enjoy this movie. For those who want a bit less Romanticism and more realism in their 1930's Germany movies, there's "Schindler's List," by Steven Spielberg, "Diary of Ann Frank," by George Stevens and "Rossenstrasse" by Margarethe von Trotta.

Like the previous commenter, I found this film a very near miss as far as popular consumerism is concerned. I feel that the director, Werner Hertzog made the film in a "matter-of-fact" fashion rather than giving it a style and panache that this kind of subject matter really needed. For instance, the life in the Jewish stetl in Poland is not that far removed from life in the "glittering" Berlin. Although the stetl is in the countryside, it needed to be filmed in a more pastorale fashion to be counterpointed with the crazy "everything goes" 1932 Berlin which one sees very little of anyway. The Palace of Occultism theater in Berlin was trying to be glamorous, it missed the mark. It was reasonably oppulant but was presented too ordinarilly. The MC was a bit ho-hum when he should have been scintillating and on the edge which was the style in those years. (Remember Joel Grey in "Cabaret") All this said, I thoroughly enjoyed watching the film. Tim Roth plays the Magician with great brooding undertones, quite mesmerizing at times and the Strongman reminds me of Arnold Schwartzenegger in his very early days. I think he must be a very sweet man as that's how he plays the character. This film is definitely worth watching and there are many things in it that Mr. Hertzog should be highly commended for. My main comment would be lack of a difinative style.

Werner Herzog once again amazes me. he's portrayed the characters in this film very well - showing their sensitivity, and strength. The Nazi era too - he's showing all the reality and brutality of the time. The acting was very good - i especially liked the Wein family - they were outstanding. I also think Tim Roth was excellent. The story line was very good - it really held together, and it was a touching story. I highly recommend this film!I have to write 10 lines, for this review, but i don't know what else to say. I loved the film, the plot, the actors, the characters, and everything about it, and once again, Werner Herzog pulls off an amazing piece.