This film is not nearly as engaging as previous Kinski-Herzog films AGUIRRE: THE WRATH OF GOD and FITZCARALDO. Once again Herzog has found stunning locations at the very ends of the earth but his story does not complement the use of these places. Kinski is amazing as he always is when working with Herzog. He plays a complex, nuanced character(some would say mad) but the script lets him down. The story is a very brutal exposition of the 19th century slave trade. White men are seen working hand in hand with African kings. The Kings want weapons and power, the whites want slaves to work their vast plantations. Cobra Verde(Kinski) is essentially really only a pawn in this horrible game, only he does not fully realize it until it is too late. Unfortunately the film's greatest weakness is its visual narrative. There are too many moments when a situation is set up and we are left to figure it out on our own. I was also perplexed by Cobra Verde's motivation. Why does he accept to go to Africa. Does he really see himself as invincible? He is fearless, but surely he did not survive so long as a bandit by being stupid? So why does he make the journey in the first place?
This being said, the film also has some stunning moments. Witness the army of amazons being whipped into a frenzy by the blood-thirsty Cobra Verde. There must be 400 actors in this scene alone. Kinski revels in the chaos and confusion and this adds greatly to the impact of the scene. The final scene is also quite haunting. It is really too bad that there are not enough moments like these. Overall worth seeing if you like Kinski and Herzog but definitely not their best effort.
This being said, the film also has some stunning moments. Witness the army of amazons being whipped into a frenzy by the blood-thirsty Cobra Verde. There must be 400 actors in this scene alone. Kinski revels in the chaos and confusion and this adds greatly to the impact of the scene. The final scene is also quite haunting. It is really too bad that there are not enough moments like these. Overall worth seeing if you like Kinski and Herzog but definitely not their best effort.