It's 1932. Zishe Breitbart is a Jewish blacksmith in Eastern Poland. He and his little brother Benjamin are attacked by racists at the restaurant. To pay for the damage, Zishe takes on the strongman at a traveling circus. Landwehr is impressed and recruits him to Berlin for Hanussen (Tim Roth) in his Palace of the Occult. The audience is mostly Nazis party members and Hanussen turns Zishe into an Aryan ideal.
Werner Herzog picks interesting characters and subject matters to do films about. Sometimes it works really well. This one works somewhat. I really like Jouko Ahola. Despite his size, he has a gentle innocent demeanor. He is perfect for the role. Tim Roth is mercurial. The style of the movie lacks the needed tension. It's simply not exciting and the excessive running time of over two hours really drags out the story. Herzog needs a sharper editing style to pump up the excitement.
Werner Herzog picks interesting characters and subject matters to do films about. Sometimes it works really well. This one works somewhat. I really like Jouko Ahola. Despite his size, he has a gentle innocent demeanor. He is perfect for the role. Tim Roth is mercurial. The style of the movie lacks the needed tension. It's simply not exciting and the excessive running time of over two hours really drags out the story. Herzog needs a sharper editing style to pump up the excitement.