Cinema - German films

German cinema: Thriller

Der Amerikanische Soldat (1970)

Rainer Werner Fassbinder

After serving in the American army in Vietnam, a former professional killer named Ricky returns to his hometown of Munich in Germany. The town is in the grip of a serious crime wave, which the police seem incapable of containing. Three renegade cops hire Ricky to kill the gangsters who are behind the crime wave, which he does with his usual professional detachment... [More...]

Das Cabinet des Dr Caligari (1920)

Robert Wiene

Seated on a park bench, a young man, Francis, tells an older man the tragic story of his fiancée. It began some years ago, when he and his friend, Alan, were in love with the same young woman, Jane... One day, Francis and Alain decide to visit a travelling fair at which one of the exhibits is Dr Caligari’s cabinet... [More...]

Carlos (2010)

Olivier Assayas

A legend in his own lifetime, Carlos the Jackal (né Ilich Ramírez Sánchez) was at the epicentre of international terrorism in the 1970s and ’80s. He was both an extreme leftwing activist and opportunistic mercenary, selling his services to political organisations in the Middle East, whilst building up his own terrorist network behind the Iron Curtain... [More...]

Dr. Mabuse, der Spieler (1922)

Fritz Lang

Who is the stranger who contrives a stock exchange crash to his own advantage? Who is behind a major counterfeiting operation? Who controls the criminal gangs that are sowing mayhem and terror throughout the city? And who takes such delight in despoiling the rich in their secret gambling dens? This is what State Prosecutor Von Wenck intends to discover – the identity of the criminal mastermind who has somehow taken control of the country’s criminal fraternity and is intent on crime for its own sake... [More...]

M (1931)

Fritz Lang

Berlin is in a state of terror as a serial killer roams the streets after dark, abducting and killing young children. Public opinion compels the police to intensify their search for the killer, and in the process they round up scores of criminals who have nothing to do with the murders. Realising that their crooked exploits are under threat by this increased police activity, the leaders of the criminal underworld get together and resolve to capture the killer... [More...]

Metropolis (1927)

Fritz Lang

In the twenty-first century city of Metropolis, the wealthy elite live in luxury in sprawling tower complexes whilst millions of workers toil away in subterranean vaults, constantly serving the machines which keep the city alive. Freder, the son of one of the rich overlords, follows a beautiful young woman, Maria, to the underground world of the workers... [More...]

Never Say Never Again (1983)

Irvin Kershner

James Bond is not the man he used to be. When he under-performs in a training exercise, M sends him to a health clinic to rid himself of all those harmful free radicals. Meanwhile, SPECTRE, led by the venal cat-loving Ernst Stavro Blofeld, is up to no good. With the help of a brainwashed air force pilot, Jack Petachi, this consortium of evil masterminds successfully steals two cruise missiles armed with nuclear warheads and issues an ultimatum to the world: pay up or be blown up... [More...]

Nosferatu, eine Symphonie des Grauens (1922)

F.W. Murnau

Real estate agent Herr Hutter lives with his young wife Ellen in the German town of Wisborg. At the request of his employer, the mysterious Herr Knock, Hutter travels to the Carpathian Mountains to conclude the purchase of a property with a certain Count Orlok. Ignoring the advice of the terrified locals, Hutter enters the Count’s remote castle and settles the business transaction... [More...]

Nosferatu: Phantom der Nacht (1979)

Werner Herzog

Lured by the prospect of a substantial commission, real estate merchant Jonathan Harker sets out for Transylvania, to sell a house to the mysterious Count Dracula. Arriving at the Count’s run-down castle after nightfall, Harker is greeted by Dracula, a pale ghoul-like creature with a strange appetite for blood... [More...]

The Serpent’s Egg (1977)

Ingmar Bergman

In November 1923, American Jew Abel Rosenberg finds himself in Berlin. He is alone, unemployed, and finding it hard to keep his grip on reality, in a country that is heading for political and economic meltdown. He was a famous trapeze artist, but now his partner Max is dead, driven to suicide. Abel hooks up with Max’s wife, Manuela, a prostitute and cabaret performer, but then finds himself suspected of perpetrating a series of bizarre killings... [More...]

Spione (1928)

Fritz Lang

When a series of top secret government documents go missing, agent No. 326 is called in to investigate. Little does he know that he is up against Europe’s most sophisticated spy ring, led by the ruthless banker, Haghi. Using a combination of technology and blackmail, Haghi has a vice-like grip over a vast network of spies, which includes Russian émigré Sonya Baranilkowa... [More...]

Das Testament des Dr. Mabuse (1933)

Fritz Lang

Disgraced cop Hofmeister tries to redeem himself by uncovering a counterfeiting operation. Before he can pass his findings on to Inspector Lohmann, he is cornered by his enemies and driven mad. Lohmann’s investigation leads him to a lunatic asylum which is housing Dr Mabuse, a once notorious criminal mastermind... [More...]

Der Verlorene (1951)

Peter Lorre

In the immediate aftermath of WWII, Dr Karl Neumeister works in a refugee camp, immunising displaced people in the ruins of a defeated Germany. Introverted and dedicated to his work, he is perturbed when a man named Nowak is assigned to work alongside him. It is not their first meeting. During the war, Neumeister – then named Dr Rothe – was engaged on important research into immunology... [More...]

Vier um die Frau (1921)

Fritz Lang

In search of an expensive present for his wife Florence, wealthy stockbroker Harry Yquem visits a shady jewel market frequented by crooks and other undesirables. Here, he sees a man whom he recognises from a photograph in his wife’s possession. Suspecting that the man, William Krafft, is his wife’s lover, Yquem follows him to the hotel where he is staying... [More...]

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