Verdict
Summary
As slim as a movie can be with some grotesque imagery, slight sexiness (some nudity is a requisite, so you won’t be disappointed there), and a nonsensical plot, Vengeance runs dry long before its 76 minute run time peters out.
Plot:
A mind control laser is at stake, and if a power hungry doctor isn’t stopped from obtaining it, the world will never be the same.
Review:
A silent, facially scarred thug with clear indications that he’s had a brain transplant at some point is doing some dirty work: His overlord, Dr. Mabuse or Farkas (who’s never named, but if the film’s title is any indication, then it’s Mabuse), has his sights set on plans for a unique laser developed by the National Research Institute that could potentially control men’s minds. With the silent human atrocity lurking around in broad daylight, dispatching people who stand in his way, there is a bit of espionage involved as Inspector Thomas (Fred Williams) gets wise to the bigger issue at hand. Throw in a dash of topless striptease dancing, lesbian attraction, a dominatrix whip-snapping villain, and gunfights, and you’ve got a movie!
Pure comic book hokum from prolific exploitation filmmaker Jess Franco (who has a small role in the movie), The Vengeance of Dr. Mabuse reminded me of Franco’s bogus Fu Manchu movies with all their big aspirations and using a well-known cinematic pulp character and stretching a micro budget as far as it can go. The plot is pure nonsense, and while there are other much better-known Dr. Mabuse movies, this one only uses the name as a selling point, and did its best to avoid a lawsuit by only using the character in the title of the movie. As slim as a movie can be with some grotesque imagery, slight sexiness (some nudity is a requisite, so you won’t be disappointed there), and a nonsensical plot, Vengeance runs dry long before its 76 minute run time peters out.
Kino Lorber brings The Vengeance of Dr. Mabuse to Blu-ray as part of their Kino Cult line (it’s #34 on the spine), and it’s presented in high definition widescreen, and comes with an audio commentary by two film historians, plus a slipcover.
