Review of Aguirre, the Wrath of God (1972) by Alex A — 08 Sep 2013

Extraordinarily ambitious and technically marvellous, "Aguirre, the Wrath of God "is a hypnotically stylish and claustrophobic descent into madness. Despite the fact that it was made with a shoestring budget, the film looks and feels much larger and more expensive than it actually is.

The way the film is shot makes it feel like an invisible documentary crew is following the character's around and it makes the film feel far more realistic and involving. Klaus Kinski's performance is kinetic and ferocious and he could not have been cast more perfectly for the role than he was.

"Aguirre, the Wrath of God" establishes' Herzog's not only as an extraordinarily gifted director who can make an incredible movie with very little money, but also as a director with his own unique artistic vision.