Why Does Herr R. Run Amok? (1977)

Rainer Werner Fassbinder turned to color for his fourth film, a bleak portrait of middle-class banality. Kurt Raab, the plump, baby-faced art director usually cast as the director's most pathetic characters, stars as Herr R., a seemingly successful middle-class professional and happily married family man who stumbles through life like a grinning zombie. As one might guess from the title, Herr R. (an appropriately vague, undistinguished character that Fassbinder leaves unnamed to better stand in for a German everyman) is about to go over the edge, and the film shows us why in relentless, numbing detail. At work he's an insignificant figure of ridicule; at home he escapes into endless hours of TV when not killing time with empty small talk (largely improvised by the cast), and he soon slips into a listless depression compounded by constant headaches. Fassbinder and codirector Michael Fengler don't make the experience easy for us. The film is as purposely banal as the chatty droning of the soundtrack, shot in a hypernaturalistic approach with a palette of muddy, dull colors that give the picture the quality of a faded Polaroid. There's a genius to the gesture, and the film marches inexorably to a harrowing climax, but it's not for all tastes. Even Fassbinder fans admit that this is a tough film to get through. --Sean Axmaker Amazon.com

HE'S A REAL NOWHWERE MAN, SITTING IN FRONT OF A TV

Warun läudt Herr R. Amok? ( Why Does Herr R. Run Amok?)

"Amok", is a Malaysian word that means: murderous attack like frenzy runaway. The word came from Malaysian culture. A person, generally a man, start killing people without any clear provocation. The person with Amok use to kill himself after finishing the man slaughter. In USA, Columbine Massacre, is an unfortunately example for " follie-a-deux (madness of two).
This is the third film of Reinnaer W. Fassbinder. A simple person, Kurt Raab (Herr R), shy, that smoke a lot as the doctor told him, (but all the characters and the crew smoke a lot), because he is too anxious of about all that is going on in his life, just everything!. His wife Frau R ( Lilith Ungerer) is the kind of people who talk all the time. So one may think, if somebody would be capable to listen Herr R, could be, by doing that, to have the chance to release what ever was built-up inside?. The character of this woman, Herr R's wife, started the deeply observation about female psychology that Fassbinder performed all over his cinematographic works. Herr R, is a shy individual, almost with social phobia, having some problems with the interaction with several persons. Specially with his boss, in the drawing architect bureau.
Yes, Herr R is shy person, the contrary of Reiner Fassbinder, that could be so amusing himselfe in developing this character that resemble the other side of the coin, the opposite of Reinner's personality (almos hypo manic sometimes): But Herr R., never receive enough attention of the others, insecure always trying to recapitulated what others just have said , in front of them. The only time he was able to make an speech, was an the company dinner after several drinks, then his toast became tedious, because he spoke about personal characteristics of those persons, both, pro and con, that maybe good sometimes. There are some subtle signs of contempt anger, that finally ended one Sunday afternoon, in which all the secrets were open up in a dramatic way and then Mr. Amok started running. That is the moment in which all the people around started to be notice of Herr R existence. A German Neor-realistic kind of movie that just give us a signal of what Reinner was capable of doing and he did in his short life time.
June 9, 2008

This film irritated the hell out of me.

I watched this film with a University German class over 30 years ago. We suffered through it in silence until Herr R. ran amok, at which point everyone cheered. At last something was happening! Herr R. is a miserable man with a miserable life, and I feel for him, but murder and suicide as an existential statement in response to profound boredom is silly. It annoyed me then, and it annoys me now. This is NOT a great film, but a pretentious,posturing waste of time. June 3, 2008

The better question is: Why Doesn't Herr R. Run Amok Sooner?

Rainer Werner Fassbinder's 1970 film, Why Does Herr R. Run Amok? (Warum läuft Herr R. Amok?) is a black comedy/psychological drama about living a materialistic life of bourgeois conformity. SPOILER ALERT (There is no way to discuss this film without revealing its ending--the running amok.). Set in Munich, this strange film tells the story of Herr Rabb (Kurt Raab), his homemaker wife (Lilith Ungerer), and their young son Amadeus (Amadeus Fengler). Herr Rabb works as a draftsman for an architectural firm run by Mr. Maron (Franz Maron). The happily married Rabbs spend their days concerned about their son's schoolwork, and their evenings watching television together. They live a meaningless middle-class existence, sleepwalking through life together, listening to stupidly-happy pop songs. Their conversations are as banal as most cellphone conversations one is forced to endure in public these days. One night, while watching television, Herr Rabb runs amok, killing his endlessly-talking neighbor (Irm Hermann), his wife, and his son with a candlestick, before hanging himself after arriving at work on time the next day. As Fassbinder draws his empathetic viewer into the boredom of Herr Rabb's existence, the real question becomes why doesn't Herr R run amok sooner.

G. Merritt December 6, 2007

Don't you feel like Herr R sometimes?

I just finished watching Funny Ha Ha, a cinema verite, "mumblecore" film, and I thought of this film. This film is done is the same realistic style as that one, except this is much darker, brooding, tense, and funny. I adore Fassbinder, and I've seen this film a few times. It has a really creepy power to it, a tension that you can't really explain. The takes are very long (as opposed to Funny Ha Ha), and there is an unmistakeable bleakness to the proceedings which makes this film memorable (and a lot more memorable than Funny Ha Ha). Fassbinder captures the boredom and underlying violence of middle class morality, and it explodes in the final scene, which is realistic and terrifying at the same time. And there's something sad here, you feel for Herr. The scene in the record shop is kind of poignant, considering the 2 shop girls are mercilessly making fun of him, and he's oblivious to it. His family is very similar as well, mocking him for attempting to be human and frail, where others hide their insecurities through their bullying and coldness. So when the ending comes, you feel a sense of relief.
September 22, 2007

so realistic it's scary

why does herr r run amok is not a typical fassbinder movie - and it stands out stylistically from the other 50 or so movies he made... It is shot almost like a documentary.. improvised scenes that bring so much realism to the screen.. it is an interesting look at the german middle class of the time period.. and what it takes to drive a man insane... it is the realism that is so consistently presented throughout the film which makes the climax so unnerving.. it is like real life in the moment.. there is no escaping the images on the screen.. in most movies we are shielded by a sound track (which tells us how to react) or by visual cues like cutting back and forth or zooming.. there is nothing of that here no visual safety net.. This is a young and talented cast and director.. one of the early antitheatre films which would eventually evolve into a more cinematic melodramatic style.. but it are these early groundbreaking works that would set the framework for an inspired and all too brief career.. March 9, 2007

More reviews at Amazon.com ...