timothydodson-34504

This movie exceeded my expectations. As a big Kinski fan I was a little hesitant to check this one out after reading all the reviews describing the volatile leading mans performance as being more reserved than what we're used to. One of my greatest joys is watching Klaus tear it up on screen totally unhinged ,particularly with Herzog directing. But despite the cautious approach to the role of a wealthy industrialist grieving over the loss of his wife, Kinski still dominates every scene he's in. Is she dead? Or did she escape the fiery wreckage of the car accident? Klaus is determined to discover the truth after seeing what he believes is his wife in an X-rated film. But it cant be his wife because she was burned to a crisp... or so we were led to believe. Along with the top notch performances from everyone each scene is set up perfectly, the lighting gives everything an otherworldly "outside" kind of atmosphere. The mist, neon lights, classical architecture in each location make each scene memorable. A giallo to be sure, even if its not your typical slice and dice ala Deep Red. Double Face dips its toes more in atmosphere and mystery than bloodletting, this film is highly recommended to fans of the genre as well as Kinski fanatics. Think Vertigo meets 8mm. Definitely worth a watch!

Went into this trying to be positive but ended up feeling betrayed as the credits rolled. The virus has infected every facet of entertainment and this once awesome franchise has been neutered to make way for bland female characters who nobody cares about. Politics poison a good story and that's exactly what's happened here. All political b.s. aside, the movie still suffers from bad writing and a story that goes nowhere. Arnold and Linda do next to nothing in this except to provide some bad lines. Avoid this bag of cringe and watch Terminator 1 and 2 instead.

This movie kept my attention for the entire time I had it on. I consider this a small achievement on the part of River of Death considering what an incompetent film it is from start to finish. But is it horrible? Nope. Just pretty bad. This is like one of those movies on a Mill Creek dvd set you would find in a Walmart bargain bin. The set would probably be titled something insipid like "Jungle Fever" and River of Death would no doubt be the best movie out of the 7 or 8 random titles in the pack. Cannibals and Nazis should both be in more movies together I think, but even they couldn't save this misguided adventure yarn that felt like it was held together by silly string. One scene seems to begin and end in the middle of the next leaving the viewer going "What the heck? I thought he was flying the helicopter?" I'm not sure if the movie could have benefited from extensive storyboarding but it seems to me like there was no planning at all. Some scenes of people walking through the jungle were filmed with helicopter shots inserted from time to time and then there would be a shot of birds trying to fly out of frame to escape this stink bomb. And the writing was just bad...complimented by worse acting including a really hammy performance from Donald Pleasance. His character is shacked up with a girl that is about 5 decades younger than him and every scene with these two that called for physical affection made me cringe and laugh at the same time. Despite the movies near countless flaws, I still really enjoyed it. Would I recommend it? No...but fans of trashy jungle flicks may want to give it a go.