"Kamikaze 1989" is a German movie from 1982, so this one has its 35th anniversary this year. The director is Wolf Gremm and he is also among the writers who adapted the novel for the screen here. The outcome is a 105-minute movie in the German language. The lead actor is famous German filmmaker Rainer Werner Fassbinder and this is actually his last performance of an actor before his untimely death. Fittingly, the cast also includes many actors who have appeared on several occasions in Fassbinder's films, such as Mira or Kaufmann. I already wrote that this movie is from 1982 and the events it depicts are actually a vision of the future of what the year 1989 may look like. A touch of "Clockwork Orange" you will find in here for sure, even if the focus is on the "good" side of the law this time. Fassbinder's character is a police officer dealing with a bomb threat that may be legit or just a prank. It all has to do with the governing institution that is apparently very powerful and has their very own ways to make sure things stay the way they are. You could certainly characterize this film as shrill here. The sets, but even more so the costumes are really extremely over the top, but it feels all intended and it adds a decent little atmosphere to the entire project.
But unfortunately, the story cannot deliver beyond all the bright and colorful characters in here. The story about the crime becomes ultimately forgettable in the face of it being just one absurd scene chasing the next. And sadly, these aforementioned characters rarely have more than two scenes, which results in them becoming ultimately mostly forgettable as the moment they may have depth they are recycled for the next wave of characters. Except Fassbinder of course, who is in this for every scene from start to finish. As a consequence, the film also feels very Fassbinder, for example during the scene when the woman invites him to her place and also the entire scene at her place then. Anyway, I personally was relatively underwhelmed and I would call this a piece of style over substance. I still think Fassbinder is at least as good of an actor as he is of a writer and director and he shows it here. There are moments when his line delivery comes off a bit wooden, but it still works somehow. He is the least of problems this film has, even if I found it pretty sad to see him like this. His looks make clear that something is very wrong with him and his health and it was a bit of a depressing watch because of this, even if his acting was certainly one of the very few okay aspects about this movie. But overall, it is just not enough, especially in terms of the script which sacrifices coherency in its desperate and unsuccessful attempts to be as bold and mesmerizing as possible. Don't watch.
But unfortunately, the story cannot deliver beyond all the bright and colorful characters in here. The story about the crime becomes ultimately forgettable in the face of it being just one absurd scene chasing the next. And sadly, these aforementioned characters rarely have more than two scenes, which results in them becoming ultimately mostly forgettable as the moment they may have depth they are recycled for the next wave of characters. Except Fassbinder of course, who is in this for every scene from start to finish. As a consequence, the film also feels very Fassbinder, for example during the scene when the woman invites him to her place and also the entire scene at her place then. Anyway, I personally was relatively underwhelmed and I would call this a piece of style over substance. I still think Fassbinder is at least as good of an actor as he is of a writer and director and he shows it here. There are moments when his line delivery comes off a bit wooden, but it still works somehow. He is the least of problems this film has, even if I found it pretty sad to see him like this. His looks make clear that something is very wrong with him and his health and it was a bit of a depressing watch because of this, even if his acting was certainly one of the very few okay aspects about this movie. But overall, it is just not enough, especially in terms of the script which sacrifices coherency in its desperate and unsuccessful attempts to be as bold and mesmerizing as possible. Don't watch.