Dr. M (film)

Dr. M. is a 1990 crime film co-written and directed by Claude Chabrol. The film is loosely based on the plot of Fritz Lang's Dr. Mabuse the Gambler, which was in turn based on Mabuse der Spieler by Norbert Jacques.^[1]

Dr. M
French theatrical release poster
Directed by	Claude Chabrol
Screenplay by	Claude Chabrol Sollace Mitchell
Story by	Thomas Bauermeister
Based on	Doctor Mabuse der Spieler by Norbert Jacques
Produced by	Hans Brockmann François Duplat Christoph Holch
Starring	Alan Bates Jennifer Beals Jan Niklas
Cinematography	Jean Rabier
Edited by	Monique Fardoulis
Music by	Mekong Delta Paul Hindemith
Production companies	N.E.F. Filmproduktion und Vertriebs Ellepi Films Italian International Film Cléa Productions Solyfic ZDF Telefilm Saar GmbH La Sept
Distributed by	Pyramide Distribution
Release date	24 May 1990 (1990-05-24)
Running time	111 minutes
Countries	West Germany France Italy
Language	English

Plot

In 1999, there is an outbreak of suicides in Berlin. While some of the suicides involve a person just killing themselves, other cause several casualties. With this "epidemic" causing hundreds of deaths, panic starts to creep in both sides of the Berlin Wall. In West Berlin, Lt. Claus Hartman, whose wife killed herself years before the outbreak after finding out she was pregnant, suspects that the suicides are really caused by a lone madman, Dr. Marsfeldt, who is using a form of mass hypnosis. His investigations lead him to a woman whose image is being used to manipulate the populace.

Cast

Actor	Role
Alan Bates	Dr. Marsfeldt / Guru
Jennifer Beals	Sonja Vogler
Jan Niklas	Lt. Claus Hartman
Andrew McCarthy	The Assassin
Hanns Zischler	Moser
Benoît Régent	Stieglitz
Alexander Radszun	Engler
Daniela Poggi	Kathi
William Berger	Penck
Michael Degen	Reimar von Geldern
Wolfgang Preiss	Kessler
Jean Benguigui	Rolf
Isolde Barth	Mrs. Sehr
Béatrice Macola	Anna

Critical reception

Steve Simels of Entertainment Weekly gave the film a C−:

[T]his is a standard-grade, low-budget European B movie. The plotting is absurd (with anachronistic elements; though the film is set in the future, the Berlin Wall has not yet come down); the stars — including the still fetching Jennifer Beals and the usually cool Alan Bates (doing what seems like an eccentric imitation of Albert Finney doing Hercule Poirot) — either overact or sleepwalk; and the pacing is lethargic verging on comatose.^[2]

Jackson Adler of TV Guide gave the film 3 out of 4 stars:

Club Extinction is something of a mishmash. But it's a mostly engaging mishmash with Chabrol operating in a satirically sinister mode that should come as no surprise to his devotees... In contrast to many American genre pictures, the problems with Club Extinction stem from aiming too high rather than too low... [M]ostly to Chabrol's credit, the going never gets boring, no matter how many times one views it. Club Extinction is an absorbing and even amusing thriller with brains--even if it does take more brains than should be necessary to follow its helter-skelter plot.^[3]

Release

Home media

The film was released in the United States as Club Extinction on VHS.^[4]

See also

• Dr. Mabuse the Gambler