Querelle (1982)

 

A handsome sailor is drawn into a vortex of sibling rivalry, murder, and explosive sexuality.

From memory: Fassbinder's last movie is a deliberately nefarious study of homoerotic sensibilities. a quite accurate adaptation of Genet's novel and a sum of the director's artistry: slow-paced, atmospheric, technically brilliant production design with expressionistic lighting and artificial stage settings and quite bleak.

Halliwell (no star): "Overheated fantasy which may have something to say to gays, but not much to other audiences."

Maltin BOMB: "Fassbinder's final film was rejected even by his admirers; gamy but slickly produced adaptation of Jean Genet novel induces boredom and giggles in equal measure." 

Kamikaze 89 (1982)

 

In a totalitarian society of the future, in which the government controls all facets of the press, a homicide detective investigates a string of bombings, and finds out more than he bargained for.

From memory: Preposterous sci-fi nonsense is full of bizarre, outlandish designs (Fassbinder's leopard suit!), bad acting and pseudo-philosophical pretensions plus an illogical plot to boot.

NB: Among German film buffs bad German movies are rated in "Gremm-Einheiten" (Gremm units).

Maltin***: "Exciting if sometimes confusing thriller..."

 

Die dritte Generation (1979)

A mogul merrily funds terrorists to boost his computer sales, by panicking West German government and industry c. 1980, as the third generation of Western European left-wing activists forms, after crippling of the violent Red Army Faction.

From memory memory: Stylish and dark satire clearly has the director's signature, but the attempt to ridicule both the RAF terrorists as spoilt brats and its victims as manipulative profiteers annihilates any political sting.

Halliwell (no star): "Realistic melodrama, curiously muted in its satire and its anger, watchable more as an entertainment than as a polemic."

Maltin***1/2: "Pitch-black comedy...Superb ensemble cast in one of Fassbinder's best films."