Invincible (2001) User Reviews

Herzog has done better

[Samiam3 · 5/10 · 18 September 2010]

No director has more fascinating stories to tell than Werner Herzog. This one is about a Jewish blacksmith who finds his way from his village in Poland into a German propaganda show at a Berlin theatre which features a grim but locally beloved hypnotist, who claims he has seen into the future of Germany. The year is 1932, Hitler has yet to come to power.

For about fifty minutes, Herzog is able to keep the viewer in his/her seat. He stages a very eccentric show which at times allows for audience participation. During a hypnotism scene, Herzog has chosen the camera angle to be a P.O.V. of the volunteer. Tim Roth faces the camera, and as he starts to work his magic, it is us the viewers who are being hypnotized. But while the show goes on, the spectacle disappears. Invincible looses direction and starts becoming draggy quite quickly. Tim Roth's character is presented to us with so much flair and presentation that we are led to believe that the story is heading more in his direction, but it doesn't. Invincible might have worked better if the movie was about him. The last section of the film is clunky and overlong, and it feels like another movie. When looked at in its entirety, Invincible is almost a docu/drama. Some parts are very interesting but, it lacks important cinematic ingredients; the most important of which is structure.

Invincible could use a major reworking. It is clumsy in direction, unable to generate much emotion, and does not have much to say. This is NOT one of Herzog's more impressive works

A Very Interesting Film Despite A Rather Serious Flaw

[Theo Robertson · 7/10 · 9 December 2005]

A film broadcast at 2am on channel 4 and starring Tim Roth ! I remember the last movie broadcast on channel 4 with Tim Roth in the credits which was THE WAR ZONE , one of the few movies I've regretted watching due to the depressing content and since INVINCIBLE centres around the birth of Nazism I wasn't expecting too many uplifting moments but I certainly recommend Werner Herzog's strange and interesting drama based on a true story

!!!! SPOILERS !!!!

In a Polish town the circus arrives and blacksmith's son Zishe Brietbart beats the strongman in a competition and impressed with Zishe's physical strength a theater agent signs him up where he performs at Berlin's Cabaret Of The Occult which is owned by Danish nobleman Hanussen . Since it's 1932 the Nazis are on the rise so Hanussen reinvents Zishe as " Siegfried " and shows his predominantly Nazi audience the physical strength of this Ayran . Hanussen shows this as proof of Ayran superiority while at the same time impressing his audience with his own occult powers . However despite his own naked opportunist agenda Hanussen has a secret of his own that he doesn't want known to his audience ...

Some people may claim how ridiculously ironic it is having a Jew pretending to be an Ayran strongman in order to put forward a racist agenda but this I feel is the whole point of the story which one has a feeling has been turned into a fable rather than a story that has stuck to rigid facts . Certainly the most bitter irony about the rise of Nazism is that one of the architects of Nazi philosophy Alfred Rosenberg had a Jewish name while Hitler , Heydrich and Eichmann were of Jewish descent themselves ( Though technically not Jews - According to tradition if your mother wasn't a Jew neither are you ) so people with an irony deficency will have a problem understanding this beautiful and intelligent film

And I don't apologise for thinking this is a beautiful and intelligent film , it might not have the reputation of Herzog's other films like the painfully overrated FITZCARRALDO but it's one I can certainly recommend for a mainstream audience . However there is one serious flaw that stands out and that is the casting of Jouko Ahola as Zishe . You do get the gut instinct that Herzog wanted to cast a certain Austrian body builder turned politician in the lead role and it's impossible to watch Ahola without being reminded of Big Arnie except Ahola is an even more wooden actor and his lack of thespian skills is made even more obvious when he's playing opposite Tim Roth is one of his most impressive roles which slightly damages the movie

If not a great movie, it is a good one, stirring up questions of Good vs. Evil

[Quinoa1984 · 7/10 · 9 July 2005]

Of the filmmaker Werner Herzog, I've heard and read strange things about him and his films. That two of his works, Aguirre: The Wrath of God, and Fitzceraldo, are two of the most bizarre modern European films. That he once ate a shoe from a bet with Errol Morris, and made a documentary about it. That he once said (and I'm paraphrasing) "some people make movies with their minds and hearts, I make them with my (expletive)." So, when I saw this film at the rental store, Invincible, and the image of Tim Roth in a truly Gothic pose on the cover, I expected it to be a dark, brooding film about pre-war, pre-dictator Hitler Germany. In a way it is, and in a way its not. Although the film is rated PG-13, I would imagine that for the die-hard Herzog fans this is like his family film, or at the least kids might not be too freaked out to watch it. Surprisingly, Herzog brings a fable out of a true story, about how each side of the coin is a certain way, black or white, and whichever role you choose defines you, though there can be an exception.

There was one sequence, however, where I saw that Herzog brilliantly had a kind of surreal, one-of-a-kind filmed scene that I expected amongst the more typical dramatic scenes. It involves a dream of Zishe's (played by near unknown Jouko Ahola in a mostly one-note performance) where he walks around on a rocky beach. He is surrounded by bright red crabs, and steps around on the rock trying not to knock them down or get snipped by their claws. But he does so casually, with the searing Hans Zimmer/Klaus Blaudet music in the background. This dream occurs again towards the end of the film, as his younger brother leads him by the hand through the crabs on the rocks, somehow giving him strength. These are powerful scenes in a movie that could've been even more powerful.

Take Tim Roth's performance- it towers above all the others because most (aside from Udo Kier whom I recognized) are non-professionals. It's to Herzog's credit that he makes these people in Poland shtetels and in Berlin to be believable, but he's not a great director of them like the neo-realists in Italy were. And because Roth, as this brooding, tragic anti-hero witnesses what happens with his strongman from Poland, is so good and subtle at his role, he out-acts pretty much anyone else in the film. Watching him is fascinating, especially when he's quiet and subtle, or in the scenes when he's on stage performing his acts. It shows how versatile he can be in this film. I just wish it was the same for the others. (strong) B+

Evocative visuals highlight Herzog's philosophic examination of premonitory Nazism.

[TheVid · 13 June 2003]

The great Werner Herzog uses grandly designed set pieces to deliver a foreboding period piece about the nature of facism in pre-WW2 Berlin. The focus of the story revolves around the opposing philosophies of the sinister, renowned clairvoyant Hanussen, and one of his performers, a naive strongman, lured off the farm to make his fortune in the big city. Needless to say, both of these powerful characters provide the symbolic thrust of Herzog's visionary statement, and he presents them as extreme opposites. Roth really delivers as a refined cynic, while real-life strongman Ahola is a childlike brute, an amateur hero challenging the authority of a professional villain. While parts of the picture are heavy-handed and obvious, it has a refreshing, unsentimental neutrality about it's subject matter, and it's mise-en-scene pleasures are many. My favorite scene follows our hero on his way to Berlin: he's picked up by a couple of farmers, one of them unable to control wild outbursts of laughter as he listens to the naive strongman tell about his dreams. A worthy film in the Herzog repertoire and interesting enough even for non-enthusiasts.

Familiar Herzog

[rosscinema · 7/10 · 25 November 2002]

Werner Herzog has always been one of my favorite filmmakers and it was hard to keep up with him when I joined the military so this was the first film of his I have seen in a theater since "Fitzcarraldo". I did like this film but its clearly not one of his best. As I watched this film I could not help but think of the other actors Herzog has used in the past and how they could be cast in this film. Of course Tim Roth would have had Klaus Kinski in his role. Eva Mattes would be Marta who's played by Anna Gourari and how many times has Herzog used a non actor in the lead? The cinematography is terrific and the period is beautifully detailed. The music is by Hans Zimmer and he is a legend but his score doesn't evoke the same haunting sounds that Popol Vuh did. I didn't mind the fact that Jouko Ahola as Zishe cannot act. He really isn't suppose to. Herzog is going for a more realistic response to the complexities of what is going on around him. Herzog has done this before with Bruno S. Tim Roth is excellent and I also liked the charm of Anna Gourari. And its always good to see Udo Kier! This film is certainly not up to "Aguirre" or "Nosferatu" or "Fitzcarraldo" but it is better than "Kaspar Hauser". Not great but its pure Herzog.

I liked the film a lot--then I learned it was a lie.

[planktonrules · 6/10 · 24 April 2013]

"Invincible" purports to be the story of Zishe Breitbart, a Jewish man who made his living entertaining folks through feats of super-human strength. And, I enjoyed it very much, as the film was well acted (especially Tim Roth--who was wonderfully hateful) and the story was quite interesting. However, being an ex-history teacher, I did what I normally do when I watch biographies or historical films--I did some digging to find out about the REAL Breitbart...and was very disappointed. Let me explain...the film purports to be about a Jew who managed to thrive in pre-WWII Berlin despite the strong climate of antisemitism. It shows Breitbart arriving in the city from Poland JUST BEFORE the Nazis came to power in 1933. And, in the epilogue, the film states that Breitbart died JUST before this Nazi takeover. However, Breitbard died in 1925--when the Nazis were an insignificant force in Germany--particularly in areas outside Bavaria. There was no cabaret filled with jack-booted Nazis watching him perform and it is highly doubtful that Breitbart returned to Poland to warn them of the pending Nazi menace. And, he did NOT die in Poland but in Germany.

The bottom line is that the film is all about the Nazis and antisemitism. But, this just wasn't the case and, sadly, tends to diminish Breitbart's life. Why not just tell it like it really was?!

Two inspired débuts, two solid character actors

[GymRat · 7/10 · 12 November 2001]

If the name of the director, Werner Herzog, frightens you into believing that Invincible is a 'difficult' movie, I am happy to inform you of the direct opposite: It is direct, easily digested and tells a straight story based on real people and events. The events are somewhat adjusted for making this into a tighter story about the Jewish strongman Zishe Breitbart and his great career in the Nazi-Berlin of the 1930's. Zishe is convinced that he is chosen by God to save Judaism from Hitler.

I try to keep this text free from so called spoilers (giving away the story other than what should be known) since I like to experience the storyline for myself and not having it unwittingly told straight up and down. One of recent examples of this is when Matt Drudge gives away the ending of this summers big action adventure in USA, 'Planet of the Apes'.

Jouko Ahola, the Moviestar

This is Jouko Aloha's screen début, and he plays the central part as the Jewish blacksmith Zishe Breitbart, whose enormous strength is 'discovered' by a talents scout during a circus performance. Jouko is not a trained actor, but was chosen by the director as solid raw material to be shaped into the part. Not having Jouko 'acting' as the others gives his role as the simple, naïve man from the polish countryside better reality. We actually see and feel him feeling lost in the big city, not being accustomed to playing the role of an entertainer, and unwilling to play the social game that all of the others engage in.

Jouko possesses an charisma and physical presence seldom seen on screen – with his strength and popularity Zishe could easily sink into the swamp of egoism surrounding him. But he walks undamaged through it all and the further the movie plays the purer his character shines.

– I am who I am, says Zishe. It grows more clear what was meant with the God-given gift of his great physical power, a strength many times that an ordinary blacksmith could ever need. His conclusion is that he is to be the Modern Samson, chosen to save the Jewish community from the catastrophe he sense coming. Will he succeed in persuading his fellow people...?

The weights and props used were real, and the hardest parts were not the demonstrations of strength. – We only had to shoot the 350 kilo deadlift three or four times, Jouko tells in an interview for the Swedish 'filmkonst magasin'. – But the scene where Zishe is reunited with his mother and brother in Berlin took 24 takes to complete... I'm pleased with my acting, everyone was very kind and helpful if I had trouble. As for other film projects, it depends on what happens with this movie. But I won't be sad if nothing comes out if it.

The Pianist and the Hollywood stars

The female leading part, also a debut, as the pianist Marta, assistant to Hanussen, is a solid performance by Anna Gourari. Marta is trapped by Hanussen and Zishe becomes the support she needs for her liberation. Anna is considered to be one of our times most talented pianists, and thus it is not strange that Beethoven's third concert for piano gets to play a big part.

The most famous actor is undoubtedly Tim Roth (who actually was latest seen as General Thade in 'Planet of the Apes'). Roth takes wide strides playing his part as the hypnotist/clairvoyant Erik Jan Hanussen (but not as over-the-top as 'Archibald Cunningham' in 'Rob Roy' - if such a thing is possible, I don't know). Giving Hanussen megalomania, colossal arrogance and selfsecureness is quite right since it was this no-holes-barred-attitude that led the real Hanussen to the great success he had a the 'Leader of the Occult'.

Through his career as soothsayer Hanussen became richer and more powerful than most people can dream of. At the peak his show in Berlin was constantly sold out and he had rich bankers, movie stars and politicians of Nazi-Germany following his advice, one if which was voting for Hitler. With his close connections to high-ranking party officials he could at an séance 'predict' the fire who was to destroy the German House of Parliament. (The burning of the Reichstag is considered to be a planned act, a part of the plan limiting civil rights. Freedom of Press, amongst other things, was abolished the day after the fire.)

Udo Kier, a well known face for most, got his part as Count Helldorf especially written for him by the director. Udo would give the most degenerate character outlandish style - which is also done here in a most telling scene, where the directors message in words is most clear.

triumph over the mind rather than the body...or spirit?

[ThurstonHunger · 6/10 · 20 June 2004]

I'm still relatively new to the wealth of Werner Herzog's work (and only recently did I learn about him eating a shoe in relation to the inspiring Errol Morris.) I was introduced to Herzog via Popol Vuh. Florian Fricke RIP!

I get the sense that Herzog prides himself on being anachronistic, and this film feels like it could have been made long ago, maybe even before the pre-Holocaust times it focuses on. Some of the shots, and the faces (especially those in the altercation in the tavern) are from another time.

I must say as the film started out in the Jewish village, I found myself hoping it would confine itself to the dramas of that smaller setting rather than the theater that became the second World War. Also in full disclosure, I must say that I saw this the night after being up all evening at work, and as such did struggle with nodding off at times.

But the fault there is strictly mine...the pacing is slow, but it works well. Life then should not have had the flavor of jump-cut hyperspace. I even reviewed certain scenes the day after. I think Herzog also has a fondness for the unknown. While some of the reviewers here may have heard of Zishe Breitbart beforehand, I did not. Most of the actors here, save two are also unknowns. And as the film unfolds, I never remotely felt that the story was easily derived. It would not surprise me if it were "unknown" to Herzog when he started shooting.

Indeed now as I reflect back on it, I'm not sure that I can with certainty pronounce "what it was about." But I'm going to try now, so if you have not seen the film, read on only at your own peril.

SPOILERS

I could see a case made for the nature of the invincible being embodied by the mind of Benjamin as opposed to the physique of Zishe. The final scene of Benjamin soaring signifies that, right? It was also interesting to me that the undoing of Zishe comes not in mortal combat against his enemies, but in an act of vanity amongst his brethren. Wounded by his pride as much as in his thigh.

Tim Roth's character, and his portrayal thereof, were mesmerizing for me. While I could see the notion of him as a self-loathing being, I think his Hanussen is more complicated than that...more selfish, than self-hating? Self-preserving, but of course ultimately short-sighted.

As for Roth's English accent, and other issues with dialects... First I should say that as a native English speaker, I feel spoiled by this...but subtitles are just not the same. Secondly I think the mix-and-match accents coupled with the fact that I was not familiar with the "real" story helped me immensely to take this as a filmic fable by itself.

But unlike most fables that have a moral that strikes you with an anvil, "Invincible" stung me like a jellyfish. What a great shot that was by way of the Monterey Aquarium. And the army of crabs that the brothers tiptoe over, is that meant to indicate the prevalence of Nazi's...and despite their smallness, they make it impossible for an individual to move? Then the train, is that the progress of industrial society smashing them?

Ultimately, I'm left with memorable images (circus dog shot!) and an underlying story, but not enough message to give this too high a ranking. Maybe you had to be one of the 36 in a generation to enjoy this film to its utmost. That's an aspect of Judaism I had never heard before, and like most religious dogma it spurs on a visceral anti-reaction in me. My "worship" of Herzog however, I suspect will grow. I've got "Stoczek" to see soon.

For me, even the "Invincible" was flawed...

6/10

The invincible Werner Herzog

[Miryam · 9/10 · 12 November 2001]

I just saw this touching movie at the Stockholm Film Festival, and I have to say Herzog is still as poignant, charming and direct in his storytelling as ever. Not afraid to cast people who just have pure feelings, no plastic acting-by-the-book moves and more than one and a half expressions on their faces.

The frame of the story is a little jewish village in Poland in 1932, where a big family lives a poor but happy life. The eldest and the youngest sons, Zishe and Benjamin, mocked by some people as the thick and the thin, lead us through thick and thin of their lives. Based on a true story, the legend of the Invincible Zishe Breitbart, played bravely and somewhat charmingly naive by Jouko Ahola (the 1997 and 1999 strongest man), still is told among the jewish people. A man who accepted his physical strength as the gift of God, and thereby felt obliged to define his goal by that call. When he gets hired at a varieté in Berlin, he finds himself confronted with the Nazis, his strange employer Jan Hanussen, played by the impressive Tim Roth, who wants to sell him off as Siegfried, a blond, germanic hero who can even lift an elephant. It is obvious that Zishe has to decide whether he wants to deny his identity or rather become a Samson and fight for who he is. A touch of romance is added by the real life concert pianist Anna Gourari, who is almost over-acting, almost resembling a silent movie actress.

A very international, very special cast. Told in a simple, poetic and beautifully photographed way, Herzog manages to make you overlook the only downside of the whole movie: the bad language, german spiced english.

For people who care more about the persons than the action, this movie comes highly recommended.

let's rewrite history

[msultan · 6/10 · 25 April 2004]

I saw Invincible last night, in the presence of Werner Herzog who

had a chat with Roger Ebert after the screening. Herzog told us

that the real Ziche died in 1926 (although it was actually 1925)

whereas in the movie he dies "two days before Hitler comes to

power" and that he had taken certain liberties writing the script. In

an article on the net I also read that Ziche and Hanussen most

likely never met. Bringing these two facts together makes me

reject this movie as anything close to good because what it does

really is distort history. And unfortunately what people will

remember is the movie--nobody is going to look Ziche and

Hanussen up when they can find them together in a movie that

claims to be based on a true story. I feel cheated by Herzog because of this deliberate reconstruction

of events, especially when he included in his opening credits that

this is based on a real story. Whose story are we talking about?

The real Ziche apparently toured Europe and the US in the

twenties, but in the movie he is fit to be nothing more than the

village idiot. He is willing to pass as Sigfried until his little brother

cries when he sees him dressed that way and says "you've

changed." So that gives Ziche initiative to tell the crowd that he

was not Sigfried but the new Samson. He wouldn't have thought of

it by himself. This little brother, Benjamin, is moreover one of the

most annoying things I have ever seen on a screen. His voice, his

wisdom, his squeaking, his convictions of who he is and who his

brother is and should be... everything about him was plain

annoying. Another thing that really annoyed me was the fact that Invincible

was in English. I don't know if Herzog has made any other movies

in English, but this one, out of all, should not have been in English.

Especially with all those accents that made it hard to understand

what each character was saying. Invincible would have been so

much richer if it were in German and Yiddish or Polish. Instead

everyone spoke English with weird accents except Tim Roth (but

all the signs and newspapers were in German, Polish, and

Hebrew). Roth was good (not great) but he didn't save the movie

by any means. 6/10

Watch only the scenes with Tim Roth, and it's a good movie

[rooprect · 4/10 · 4 February 2010]

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.

Hypnosis and Power

[jzappa · 9/10 · 23 February 2013]

Werner Herzog's Invincible tells the story of a Polish blacksmith in Nazi Germany who in his provincial integrity thinks he can protect his people after becoming the star at the Palace of the Occult in Berlin, which is overseen by a sinister man who dreams of becoming the Nazis' Minister of the Occult. Much of the movie's uncanny appeal comes from the contrast between the simple-mindedly innocent blacksmith-come-strongman and Tim Roth's wicked Hanussen, who trickles with studied malice. Standing between them is a young woman under Hanussen's mental force, who the strongman loves. The movie is supposedly based on a true story. I can conceive of various ways it could've been told unspectacularly, but Herzog has turned it into a movie in which we mostly have no clue what could possibly happen next.

The movie has the evocativeness of a German silent film, bold in its expressionism and moralistic insistence. Its casting is critical, and intuitively right. Tim Roth is a menacing deceiver, posing as a man with extrasensory abilities, using hocus-pocus and theatrics as he hustles for position within the rising Nazi majority. There's a scene where he hypnotizes the strongman's love interest, and as he stares dauntlessly toward us, I wondered if it was feasible to hypnotize us as well. As for the untrained actor playing the strongman, the camera can look as closely as you like and never see anything insincere.

Herzog always works to push us into the mythic and the mysterious. And here, there are shots of a stark, craggy seashore where the stones are covered with thousands of bright red crabs, all clambering away on their crustaceous errands. As with similar imagery in most of Herzog's other films, there can be no exact interpretation of this. And like most of his other films, Invincible is a unique experience. Herzog has gotten outside the tropes and confines of conventional movie storytelling, and confronts us where our sense of trust and belief keeps its skeletons.

Tim Roth carrys most of the weight

[toni25 · 7/10 · 28 September 2002]

After a long wait for Invincible to open here in the US, I left the theater with the feeling that too much of Mr. Herzog's original film may have been left on the cutting room floor ( or perhaps not enough of it ). The cinematography is wonderful, as is typical from Mr. Herzog. But it is hard to imagine that the same man who gave us "Aguirre: The Wrath of God " & "Fitzcarraldo" would offer us this film as I viewed it. He chose to make the film with mainly non actors. The smart move was to choose Tim Roth to carry the not only the heavy role but as it turns out, more weight than the strongman. Mr Roth's performance is fabulous, keeping me interested enough to stay in my seat. Could it be that Mr. Herzog has found another actor with whom he can make great films as he did with the late Klaus Kinski?

unexpectedly bad and conventional pre-Holocaust film from Werner Herzog

[dromasca · 3/10 · 20 October 2007]

It is really a great disappointment to see such an interesting director as Werner Herzog doing such a conventional and uninteresting film.

The story is set in Poland and Berlin in the year before the Nazis ascended to power in Germany. Zisa, a Jewish strongman from Poland goes to Berlin and becomes involved in the cabaret shows of magician and fortune teller Hanusse, first playing the role of an 'aryan' here and then as a new Jewish 'Samson'. Unfortunately this allegedly true story is treated in the most conventional and stereotype way one could imagine, without any dramatic tension, character development or historical revelation. Poland's Jewish shtetl is idealized as in some Shalom Alechem inspired story without the charm of Shalom Alechem. Berlin between the two wars lacks the fascination and spark of many good movies that dealt with th etime and place and is populated by operetta villains Nazis. Hanussen is a fascinating character, but here he is uni-dimensional and makes us long for the mysterious and complex view we got from him in Istvan Szabo's 'Hanussen'. Moreover history is twisted, Hanussen is killed in the movie in 1932, while in reality he was assassinated in 1933 a few weeks after the Nazis came to power. Some dream scenes haunt the hero during the movie but they do not succeed to transmit any emotion or message.

If Herzog had made this film at the beginning of his career I would have doubted his talent. Having done as a mature director, after he already proved what a fine director he can be is really the only mystery around this movie.

Had potential but doesn't hang together like it should and has too many poor or average aspects

[bob the moo · 27 December 2005]

Zishe is a Jew living in Poland and working with his family as a blacksmith. When a fight breaks out in a local restaurant, Zishe uses his impressive strength to fend off his attackers but finds himself facing a bill for the damage. To make the money to cover the cost, Zishe enters a local circus to challenge the resident strongman. Easily winning, he draws the attention of a talent scout who offers him the chance for more work in Germany. Despite the reservations of his parents, Zishe travels to Berlin where he joins the high-class show of mystic Hanussen. Playing to mostly film stars and members of the ascending Nazi party, Zishe plays the role of an Aryan strongman. Initially happy to do so, the deception and denial of self gradually eats at him as he performs on stage.

I may not be the most cine-literate person in the world but I know enough to give any film from Werner Herzog a try to see what happens. With this film I was interested from the very start as it throws up an interesting "true" story that I had never heard before. It opens well but it only manages to hang together until the middle of the film, at which point the direction of the story starts to badly waver and, with a mostly amateur cast and some clunky dialogue, it cannot do anything to really turn it around. After a while it does become dull and rather aimless which was a shame given the potential that it showed early on. The problems of narrative will probably worry Herzog's fans less than the casual viewer though but what will surprise them is how visually ordinary it all is. It all looks good and has some nice use of locations but generally it lacks imagination or the flair for the unusual, with only the out-of-place use of the crabs sticking in the mind as an image.

The cast are mixed, with some good performances and some terrible ones. Ahola falls somewhere in the middle; he is not the most expressive man in the world but he has a good presence and his gentle strongman performance works for the majority – it is only in the latter stages where more is asked of him where he comes up wanting. Roth is impressive of course and he does add a much needed professionalism into the film when given the chance. The rest of the cast are mostly average at best – not a major problem but few people will defend the bland and flat deliveries of people like Gourari and Wein – both of whom come over as if they would struggle to read a traffic sign in a convincing manner.

Overall this is an OK film at best – starting with potential but fading away long before the end. The performances are mostly average but what is more surprising is that Herzog doesn't really make the film his own – some of it looks interesting but it lacks the visual style that I had hoped for and it doesn't offer a great deal in its place.

It could've been great !!!

[Atdheu90 · 7/10 · 5 January 2013]

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.

Invincible is Incredible!

[moviemanMA · 7/10 · 3 August 2005]

Many movies about the Jew's in Europe during the times before and during World War II have been made, the most famous being Schindler's List. They all focus on how the Nazis are despicable and outrageously offensive. This picture however focuses on the times before Hitler's plan and about a Jewish strongman trying to put everything together.

Invincible stars Tim Roth as Hanussen, a man who claims to be clairvoyant and uses it to make money for his theater. He hires interesting acts and one of them happens to be the newly found strongman Zishe Breitbart (played by two-time World's Stongest Man Jouko Ahola), a man who didn't think that his brute strength would make him an attraction. After being discovered at a local circus, Zishe is asked to come and perform for Hanussen's show. Moving from rural Poland to the hustle and bustle of Berlin is a big change for Zishe. He is forced to disguise himself as an Aryan strongman named Siefried because he must hide the fact that he is Jewish or else most of the audience won't show up due to their Nazi involvement.

Zishe must learn that life in show business isn't at all what it seems. Hanussen dazzles the crowd with his talent for hypnosis giving people the power to do things they wouldn't normally be able to do. But not all is what it seems when Hanussen's reputation and career are put to the test by Zishe's questioning of Hanussen's prophetic talent. His dream is to establish a Ministry of the Occult for Hitler's new government. He has foreseen Hitler's rise to power and wishes to be apart of it. Being Hitler's median to the future, he believes that he will have his dream come true. All Zishe cares about is whether or not the people are being tricked into following Hanussen and the Nazi party down the wrong path, and protecting one of the members of the band and Hanussen's "assisstant" Marta (Anna Gourari) and making sure she isn't harmed.

This movie really does a good job of illustrating an extraordinary man's life as he goes from small town to the big city, bringing fame, respect, hatred, and fear. Being such a strong person makes him one you shouldn't meddle with, but being a Jew makes him an easy target for criticism amongst the German's. Writer/director Werner Horzog delivers a great film in a genre that sometimes goes over the top with the violence and sometimes too powerful. This movie gets the message across firmly and also makes for a good movie to watch. Ahola's strength is incredible and his physical appearance is incredible. He not only looks the part but does a good job acting as well. Roth is stunning as the mysterious Hanussen. With his gelled hair and cape around him, he is an intimidating person.

Invincible is a fantastic movie to watch. It is the journey of a young man learning about the differences between good and evil and how to deal with them. Horzog creates a career defining piece that should be watched for years to come.

interesting characters and times

[SnoopyStyle · 6/10 · 24 November 2015]

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.

surprisingly moving film

[flugler · 7/10 · 2 April 2006]

This was a surprisingly moving film, in spite of some really bad acting. Juko Ahola, who is apparently a well-known Polish body builder, plays the role of a Jewish strongman in pre-WW II Poland. After he defeats the circus strongman, he is noticed by a German entertainer who wants to include him in the show. He agrees, and goes along with the act playing a Teutonic type which gets all the Nazi's excited. The most interesting and best acted role is played by Tim Rice as the owner of the Palace and medium and Nazi sympathizer. Whether this part of the story is true or not, it is the most interesting part. I won't reveal the plot here, but it was a surprise to me. The story is based on a a true character, and ends on a down note. Still, I would recommend it.

A WONDERFUL MOVIE

[PandoraLove · 10/10 · 3 April 2004]

This is one of the most beautiful movies I have ever seen. I loved the way the characters were chosen, everyone gave the best and the director knew how to let us feel what he wanted to express. I liked the story, a very third role story of a magician who in fact had a very strong way to influenciate his public on his masked beliefs. My preferred scene is the piano scene on stage, where both characters are sharing this unique moment of magical music and to tell us that to give is like to let a rose grow . It 's a fantastic and superb scene, there is no need of words, everything is said with the eyes, the silence and the music played on that piano.

I loved this movie very much.

Worth a watch, but don't expect it to be great!!

[SweatshopMillionaire · 7/10 · 25 September 2002]

I saw this movie the day it came out mainly because I'm a Tim Roth fanatic! He is one of the greatest actors of all time!! He did not disappoint in this movie. Hell, he never disappoints. But, Werner Herzog did disappoint. Roth had the perfect role but the rest of the cast did only an okay job. Had the acting been better the movie might become a great movie. I rated it a 7. If you're expecting to see a great movie, you will be in for a disappointment. But, it is worth a watch. The plot and cinematography is great, but as far as acting, Roth can't carry the movie by himself.

Clunking

[Alea Intrica · 3/10 · 21 December 2003]

Wow. I haven't waited this anxiously for a movie to end in quite a while. Weak acting (under and over) is the least of its problems, with scene after scene chugging by like freight cars on a very boring stretch of track. Actors seem to pause at the start of each scene as though waiting for the starter's pistol and then lurch into action, which I take to be the director's fault. The contrived blocking mirrors the clumsy script, both utterly failing to elicit emotion in scenes meant to convey tension, humiliation, tenderness, and rage. The settings and some shots were very good, but if you're going to waggle a camera around by hand at all in a film, you should try to do something interesting with it.

In the end, a painful script and heavy-handed direction drag this movie into the mire. It's a real pity, because the underlying premise and the surrounding issues are so promising. The (also deeply-flawed) movie "Max", treads some of the same ground, historically at any rate, and does it better. Oh, and the sound mix was irritatingly uneven (DTS version).

It grows on you

[MacAindrais · 10/10 · 16 October 2005]

Invincible: ****

When first watching this film, my initial reaction was that it just seemed awkward. (the acting/dialog) After a short period of time I began to realize that everything just fits right. The main character is naive and awkward because he just is, and the film really begins to grow on you. Its surprisingly touching and just beautiful to watch. It has all the elements of a Herzog film, although at first it really doesn't feel like its on par with his other work, but everything works just how he wants it to. If you can stick through the initial awkward acting then you will be pleasantly surprised and well rewarded. A beautiful film with some wonderfulscenes which really stand out. Most notably the hypnosis scene,and the brilliant acting by Tim Roth. ****

Not the best Herzog's movie... but pretty nice anyway

[rainking_es · 6/10 · 13 April 2007]

"Invencible" tells the story of a strong young Jewish who travels to Berlin to try his luck in the previous days of Hitler's ascension to power. It's kind of an allegory about principles, about not giving up what we are. Herzog achieves moments of great beauty, with a great photography and nice production, but the script is not as good as it should have been. Also the movie is way too long.

It's not in my Werner Herzog Top 5 but as I've said before it's a movie full of beauty and good vibrations that deals with one of those anti-heroes that Herzog loves to portrait.

*My rate: 6/10

i guess i'm supposed to write 'spoiler'??

[filipeck · 1/10 · 31 August 2004]

i rented this because of the tandem of tim roth and werner herzog. i figured this combo couldn't be bad.

i was wrong.

am i the only one on this site who thinks this movie was terrible? the script seemed to be written by that lame, child character named benjamin. and the acting was an abomination... with the exception of tim roth who, i felt, seemed to be battling everyone else's lack of talent while struggling to give this film life.

i could rant longer about why this film stinks, but i only will do so if someone cares. if not, i prefer not to waste any more of my life admitting to having seen this film.