For me the very start and the very end of this hilarious parody of gangster films were the most suspenseful parts. The start because it was the first time in a VERY long time that I had sat down to a film not knowing if it was going to be in black & white or colour (happily it turned out to be in black & white); the ending because I found myself wondering just how long Fassbinder was going to hold the incredible slow motion final shot as Kurt Raab thrashed about on the ground.
With 'Der Amerikanische Soldat' Fassbinder finally made a film that's fun to sit through. With stylish film noir photography by Dietrich Lohmann and a tremendous score by Peer Raben, its imagery and tone seems to draw more on recent pastiches by continental cineastes like 'Alphaville' and 'Le Samourai' than the Hollywood originals that Godard & Melville had drawn upon. Most of the cast look either stoned or hung over. I don't know how seriously Fassbinder and his chums were actually taking it, but I found it a blast.
With 'Der Amerikanische Soldat' Fassbinder finally made a film that's fun to sit through. With stylish film noir photography by Dietrich Lohmann and a tremendous score by Peer Raben, its imagery and tone seems to draw more on recent pastiches by continental cineastes like 'Alphaville' and 'Le Samourai' than the Hollywood originals that Godard & Melville had drawn upon. Most of the cast look either stoned or hung over. I don't know how seriously Fassbinder and his chums were actually taking it, but I found it a blast.