Atdheu90
First of all, i have to state that i'm a big fan of Werner Herzog, I consider him to be one of the greatest and one of the most underrated directors of all time. But let's not waste the time with that and let's get back to the topic.INVINCIBLE is a drama based on the true story of Zishe Breitbart, a very strong blacksmith that is discoverd in a Poland village and ends up working for Erik Jan Hanussen (Tim Roth), a "mystic" man who is the leader of a cabaret variety show.First i have to tell you what didn't work with the movie and than continue with the things that worked. * The movie runs 133' (minutes) and yet it gives you a feeling that you haven't seen enough, it leaves you disappointed a bit, but no way you can blame the director... the whole problem stands with the writing... The Screenplay doesn't work, it doesn't center on anything concrete but it tries to include all this long story... starting with Breitbart's being discovered in "this" Poland village after he wrestles this "big dude" etc etc... then he moves in Berlin (after 25+ minutes) and then the interesting story begins... so by all means Herzog disappoints with this clumsy and not so dimensional screenplay... - Something else that didn't work and everyone can notice it, is the acting of Jouko Ahola who plays Zishe Breitbart... his acting is just "dull" and simply "bad", it's one of the factors that hurt the movie in general.On the other hand:*/* Hans Zimmer score is good, he is on his level and that serves as a strong element of the movie. +/+ Herzog as the director does a superb job, he does his magic and this serves as the strongest point of the movie, to let us carry on... +/+ Also i have to praise Tim Roth, who delivers a strong performance, even thou he's supporting. No wonder why he has worked with great directors such as Tarantino, Haneke, Wenders, Coppola, Allen etc etc.THE VERDICT 7/10 - with a better screenplay and someone else in the leading role these one could've been a real contender.
yeah_sure
I bought this DVD purely on a lets-give-it-a-try basis, knowing only a few supporting actors, and of course, Tim Roth and Werner Herzog.I cant say I was disappointed with any of the two: Roth delivers a solid performance as usual, and Herzog manages (although barely) to display his straightforward, albeit compelling, style of telling stories, that keeps both the average movie-going folks, and his more artsy fans, happy and debating the qualities and faults.This movie would work much better in German, instead of English - a poor choice of Herzog, in my opinion. The awkwardness does add to the atmosphere, up to a certain point, but not all the way.The same goes for the acting: Roth may seem a bit over the top, but there wasn't really much more that he could do - Ahola and Gourari are below any acting standard, and without pushing his part to the limit, the movie would be as plain as its storyline. To a great extent, Roth carries the story and the movie on his shoulders, from his appearance, until his chilling monologue at the court.However, much of the rest doesn't really make sense, especially after the first half, when our "hum, how refreshing and original" tolerance has worn out. Anna Gourari and Jacob Wein cant act to save their lives, and some scenes, especially towards the end, like the confrontation at the boat, or the speech at the village, seem just cartoonish and laughable.The story is also to blame. Some people may leave this movie convinced that they have watched a "true" story, but as any small research will tell you, Breitbart died years before, never met Hanussen, went to the USA, and sold his strength method, Charles Atlas' style. Herzog chose to make a lively tale out of this, where Breitbart foresees the nazi horrors, etc, while living a 'simple' life - but even without knowing better, the final result looks oversimplified.A final word for Jouko Ahola - at first, I thought he was just some weightlifter, casted somewhat by accident (after listening to Wein and Gourari, one loses all faith in this casting), but he does fit this role with great merit. Extremely real and likable, one doubts that he is even acting - is Ahola playing Breitbart, or is Ahola playing himself, with a borrowed name? He does add to the movie's magic, despite falling short in all the moments that demand more from his acting, than his muscles. But like with his character, I wonder if thats really his fault, or Hanussen/Herzog's fault - like he says, he is «just strong». So strong, in fact, that the real Breitbart looks small in comparison, and so do all the other characters, with the exception of Roth, that he lifts in the air like a child, but without whom he would be lost - in the story, and in the movie.Too bad, that his strong arms cant lift this movie above its rather simplistic premises. Just the first half, Herzog's attention to detail (the shtetl, 1930's Berlin), Roth and Ahola's performances, each for its own reasons, and a few lasting scenes - Breitbart's first performance, breaking the chains and bending the sword, with the music - make this movie a hard 7.
Jay Raskin
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.
