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Klaus Kinski, Eva Mattes, Wolfgang Reichmann, Willy Semmelrogge, Josef Bierbichler ... see more see more... , Paul Burian , Herbert Fux , Irm Hermann , Volker Prechtel , Dieter Augustin

Controversial German director Werner Herzog helmed this cinematization of Woyzeck, playwright Georg Büchner's anti-military tale of depersonalization run amok. Utilizing the more grotesque elements of... read more read more... German expressionism, combined with his own sense of the outrageous, Herzog plunges us directly into the middle of his story of a soldier (Klaus Kinski) who is conditioned to be an unthinking killing machine through lab experimentation. His one vestige of humanity is his love for the beautiful Marie (Eva Mattes), but even this is corrupted when he is goaded into murdering the girl. An earlier film version of Woyzeck, filmed in 1947, was released in the U.S. in 1981. ~ Hal Erickson, Rovi

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78% liked it

3,994 ratings

Critics

82% liked it

11 critics

Unrated, 1 hr. 22 min.

Directed by: Werner Herzog

Release Date: August 24, 1979

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DVD Release Date: March 28, 1991

Stats: 240 reviews

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Reichmann and Kinski Woyzeck Woyzeck Woyzeck Semmelrogge and Kinski Woyzeck Woyzeck Woyzeck
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Flixster Reviews (240)

  • mjgildea
    November 5, 2010
    mjgildea
    I liked the parts of Woyzeck (Klaus Kinski's a m a z i n g performance and Werner Herzog's brilliant direction) but for some odd reason I didn't wind up loving the sum of said parts. For me the watch was kind of grueling (namely the story) but at by the time the whole thing was d... read moreone I'm glad I saw it, but I don't feel the need to ever see Woyzeck ever again. Recommended but not exactly essential outside of Kinski's work.
  • SirPant
    October 1, 2009
    SirPant
    The combined raw acting talent of Kinski and the brilliance (and notably different directing style for this film) of Herzog combined makes this film great. It?s the script that makes it stand out as being fantastic!
  • arashxak
    November 25, 2008
    arashxak
    Intense & powerful, Kinski rules
  • harrycaul
    October 26, 2008
    harrycaul
    Ridiculed by his superior officer, restricted to a diet of nothing but peas by his doctor, a confused, nervous and undernourished soldier is finally unhinged by his wife's apparent infidelity. Although not exactly a barrel of laughs, this wasn't as gruelling as I'd expected. Comp... read morerised of long, static takes and clocking in at a mercifully short 80 or so minutes, the film was supposedly shot in 18 days and edited in another 4, immediately after Herzog, Kinski and crew wrapped on Nosferatu. Kinski is truly amazing in this, and perhaps because of the not inconsiderable novelty value of watching him play a pitiful wretch rather than a loathsome egomaniac, this is my favourite of his performances I've seen to date. Doubtless the film has much to say to intellectuals about the human condition; unfortunately, I couldn't find an intellectual to enlighten me, so I've had to draw my own conclusions: Go easy on those greens, and never trust a drum major!
  • drago25
    November 13, 2006
    drago25
    A classic play is made into a very good movie by the great Werner Herzog. A basic but fundamentally solid adaptation of the stage play, in which Klaus Kinski delivers a monster of a performance as the title character.
  • fb1142797643
    October 23, 2009
    fb1142797643
    I was mildly disappointed with this one. Adapting a play confines Herzog mostly to room interiors, and keeps him away from the raw, natural vistas which he always captures so brilliantly. The action is a bit stiff, with less sense of spontaneity. And the bulk of the film does lit... read moretle but fill in details of characterization -- it essentially just marks time until the climax. Luckily, the film is rather short and thus doesn't turn tedious.

    In any case, no actor portrays madness quite like Klaus Kinski. Reason enough to see this.
  • gator681
    June 27, 2006
    gator681
    [font=Century Gothic]In "Woyzeck", the eponymous character(Klaus Kinski) is a forty-year old soldier who has found happiness as husband to his beautiful wife, Marie(Eva Mattes), and father to his infant son. However, he is also in danger of losing his mind and is seeing a doctor(... read moreWilly Semmelrogge) who has some very interesting, albeit primitive ways of treating his patients. For example, in the case of Woyzeck, he has prescribed an all-pea diet...(I love peas as much as any man but still...)[/font]

    [font=Century Gothic]"Woyzeck" is a solid, straightforward drama featuring a very good performance from Klaus Kinski. It is about a man who walks a tightrope between sanity and insanity. Since this movie is set in the nineteenth century, the treatment options are rather limited.[/font]
  • danieljparsons
    March 22, 2011
    danieljparsons
    Alas, despite an incredible performance from Klaus Kinski, I found Woyzeck rather stagnant, and not especially involving. The (often beautiful framed) static shots don't help, resulting in a film that, at only 82 minutes, often feels very drawn out. There are also some jar... read morering supporting performances which often are so affected they mesh uncomfortably with the sparseness and stillness of the Mise-en-scène, and I found the cod-philosophy annoying. Though it pains me to say it I have to admit I was, more often than not, a bit... bored.
  • Ivan6655321
    August 28, 2010
    Ivan6655321
    Werner Herzog stripped bare the theme of "innocence" in his two films with Bruno S.("Stroszek" and "The Enigma of Kaspar Hauser"). In this film, based on a stage play of the same name, then furthered his exploration of the other theme that he is very inclined to vividly show into... read more the silver screens: madness. Of course, this would not work out or even materialize without Klaus Kinski, the only perfect man and actor built on such roles that defy sanity. In "Aguirre", Kinski and Herzog collaborated to show madness at the peak of its powers. While in "Fitzcarraldo", they then depicted it with such humanistic touch and strands of optimism that derives from music and opera. Then at last, the film sandwiched between the first two, "Woyzeck" is the presentation of madness at its most hopeless, helpless, and pitiful, with a very much vulnerable Kinski in the lead. He acted out the role with a certain lack of personality and authority, two traits commonly attributed to the ever eccentric actor, while showing through his eyes how distant Franz Woyzeck was from the rest of society, and having imaginary, tormenting voices as his only chance to have an intimate talk. Although "Woyzeck" is as psychological as any movie can be, it's also an ever-questioning film about how society views singular murders as nothing more than a grisly crime, while exterminations on the battlefield was a thing of heroism. It's a rather old sentiment by the Chaplin classic "Monsieur Verdoux", but how Herzog delivered its message was very brilliant in its simplicity; a quote in the end of the film, displayed on the serene backdrop of the murder scene. It's a line very much assured of its stance, but deep within the words, was a subliminal thought that questions humanity, just as how the tormenting voices continually echoes into Woyzeck's fractured psyche.
  • Lemure
    August 4, 2010
    Lemure
    This film about a troubled, jealous man (Kinski - who else?) may only be 80 minutes but it feels like three hours. Kinski is bonkers, but even Herzog's direction feels slack and uninspired. The pointless philosophizing doesn't help either.

View All Woyzeck Reviews

Critic Reviews

Vincent Canby
May 9, 2005
Vincent Canby, New York Times

Woyzeck is, if possible, ever more mysterious by the time we reach the end than it is at the beginning. Full Review

January 1, 2000
Chicago Reader

The film seems to have been barely directed--the camera setups are relentlessly banal. Full Review

Walter Chaw
May 25, 2005
Walter Chaw, Film Freak Central

Often painful but never truly affecting. Full Review

Moira Sullivan
April 23, 2003
Moira Sullivan, FilmFestivals.com

Klaus Kinski is exceptional and Herzog's narrative captivating.

Keith Phipps
February 3, 2003
Keith Phipps, AV Club

Handsomely mounting each scene, the director has trouble attaining any forward momentum, though he achieves some powerful moments while trying. Full Review

Jaime N. Christley
May 24, 2001
Jaime N. Christley, Apollo Guide

Oppressive and unsatisfying. Full Review

Cole Smithey
September 26, 2005
Cole Smithey, ColeSmithey.com

No review available.

Emanuel Levy
June 29, 2005
Emanuel Levy, EmanuelLevy.Com

No review available.

Jonathan R. Perry
March 26, 2005
Jonathan R. Perry, Tyler Morning Telegraph (Texas)

No review available.

Robin Clifford
November 19, 2004
Robin Clifford, Reeling Reviews

No review available.

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