We need a new U.S. DVD!
I finally got a chance to see this film, and I thought it was great. It did an excellent job of updating the Mabuse character to the Cold War era, it was different enough from The Testament of Dr. Mabuse that it felt original, rather than just being a rehash of "Testament" for a different era, and it was generally a very well-done psychological thriller, with some great twists. It also played with the idea of truth in some very interesting ways, like when you think you are just seeing a conversation on the dance floor, but then the camera pulls back to reveal you are actually seeing a TV monitor being watched by Mabuse. It reminds you that film can deceive, and you can never be quite sure of what the truth is, which is appropriate since none of the characters (except Kras) turn out to be what they seem. It may not be quite on the same level as "Testament," but it is nonetheless great.
And obviously, this is also significant as Lang's final film.
Where is a good American DVD release? The out-of-print Allday Entertainment disc is getting increasingly rare and expensive, and this film deserves much more exposure!
This deserves a Criterion release, like M and The Testament of Dr. Mabuse got. Any chance that a re-release will happen in the future?