Load of rubbish!!

Although I seem to have had higher expectations than I thought, the movie is super entertaining.

It is neither dumb nor smart enough to be fun, and spends way too much time with its boring human characters.

The movie's neither hopeful in contrived ways, nor hopeless in different contrived ways. Somehow it manages to be wonderful

I can't say I really liked this movie, but I think I at least understand why it is so highly regarded. As far as the literal plot goes, it's standard fare for the subgenre. That subgenre, whatever it's called, is the same one that includes Henry: Portrait of a Serial Killer and the August Underground films. It's the subgenre in which a mentally ill serial killer is the protagonist, and we get to follow him while he commits a small number of extremely brutal murders.The thing that makes this movie notable is the artful composition of nearly every scene and sequence. It has the sensibility of a Bruegel painting. (See The Massacre of the Innocents as an example; this and other Bruegal paintings are notable for depicting torture and murder in the same landscape as dogs playing, children laughing, etc.) While our protagonist murders a family, the family dog runs about excitedly, chasing after a toy ball that gets kicked on accident and eagerly jumping around to try and be part of the action. It's really poetic and exceptional filmmaking, and I suppose it can be said to push the genre to a further extreme of realism.Also notable are a handful of unusual camera angles on which I am less sure how to comment, and a running narration of the protagonist's distracted thoughts while he's committing the murders. This narration is notable, because it's almost completely disconnected from the immediate actions; it's like he's having a hard time focusing on committing murders because he keeps getting distracted by other thoughts. If you've ever been hassled by a schizophrenic person on the street, it's kind of like that, and I guess I find this film's killer more believable as a result.Anyway, the title of this review really covers what I want to say. As a horror fan, I'll credit this film with one good and extremely brutal death scene. The plot, character, and ideas, however, were entirely generic. The pace was too slow for me, and body count was about as low as it could possibly for the guy to still be considered a serial killer.On the other hand, I can recognize that the filmmaking really was masterful. If you're the kind of person who gets excited about artful camera work and sequence composition, this is the film for you.

This barely seen study of psychopathology may well be the mediums final word on the subject. Those who think a film such as Silence of the Lambs ticks the serial-killer boxes should be warned of this astounding Austrian shocker.Having been released from prison, we are invited to spend a night with a truly terrifying and different kind of monster, as his compulsion to kill (and therefore achieve a long-time repressed sexual climax) becomes too much and we witness/endure the torment he inflicts on a random family.There is no glamour to be found here. No preordained set pieces to guide us through. The killers actions clumsy and cold. The minimal soundtrack, lack of on-screen dialogue (the killer's voice-over provides background detail throughout, however), repetitive use of location, and outstanding kinetic camera work, all add up to what is an undoubtedly intense viewing experience. It is to Kargl's credit (and talent) that it never once descends into exploitation.This goes beyond Henry:Portrait of a Serial Killer, more akin to Zulawski's Possession in as far as presenting mental instability on screen. This portrait will freeze you to the bone.

ANGST is a thoroughly unpleasant film. But don't let that put you off. A movie about a messed-up serial killer should feel that way. It's testament to the skill of the filmmaking and the acting that a movie gets under your skin. Too many so-called shockers fail in that regard. The most obvious example is 'Saw', with its stupid, hyperactive editing and its ridiculous killer. 'Angst' feels as real as this type of movie can get.It starts with the nameless psychopath holed up in prison, aware of his own sadistic thoughts but hiding them from the prison's psychologists. When they try to psychoanalyse him, he just says he dreams about flowers. I guess the Austrian legal system is more trusting than other countries, because they let the guy out again after almost stabbing his mother to death (four-year sentence) and then killing a 70-year-old (ten-year sentence).Within an hour of release, he's gnawing on a sausage in a café (via some disgusting extreme close-ups) and leering at some women, wondering how he's going to kill them. But he's sane enough to know he can't get away with it, so he gets out of the place.It's only a brief delay. Soon the psychopath is in a taxi with a female driver. She reminds him of an ex-girlfriend who used to love being abused. When that plan goes tits-up, he runs into the woods, frustrated and desperate to kill. He breaks into what he thinks is a deserted house... until a disabled man wheels up to him and calls him "Papa". Then that guy's sister and elderly mother show up too....'Angst' is often compared to 'Henry: Portrait of a Serial Killer'... another troubling but excellent serial killer movie. ANGST lacks the depth of style that 'Henry' has, which is brilliantly acted and directed with a bunch of memorable moments. But 'Angst' has a number of unique things going for it. The hand-held shots are incredibly smooth and dreamlike, hovering in front of the killer's frantic face. It reminded me of the odd Eastern European style of 'The Cremator', another very creepy killer flick. The camera must be on some movable scaffold attached to the actor, either that or the camera operator was extremely light of their feet.The deaths in 'Angst' are also brutal, nasty, and (save for blood spurting on the killer's face from the wrong angle) uncomfortably real. There's also interesting artistic touches, one of which is the family's pet dachshund. The dog's reaction to events is shown a lot, working in the mutt as a character. He looks curiously at the killer a lot, tries to bite him as he kills the girl, and eventually ends up as the killer's companion.It's surprising that Kargl has no other credits other than a small documentary. I guess 'Angst' isn't the sort of movie that will ingratiate you to film producers. But it's a shame 'Angst' isn't better known. Apparently it was a big influence on Gaspar Noe ('Irreversible', 'I Stand Alone'), but I prefer 'Angst'. It doesn't revel in shocks so much as to desensitise you to them. The shocking moments work in 'Angst' because they're largely unpredictable.In fact, the whole movie is pitched at the right levels. The dark humour isn't overstated, the pace is fluid, and it's neatly structured with a great ending. Find a way to get hold of a subtitled version of 'Angst' and check out an excellent example of its genre.

"Angst" seems to have picked up some interest since Gaspar Noe singled it out for praise. It is more interesting than Noe's pretentious films, but fall far short of being a lost masterpiece. The plot is simple as a killer released from prison feels an unbearable urge to kill again, eventually picking on a family in a large house in the woods. There is very little dialogue but a voice-over by the killer provides his background, unfortunately rather than providing an insight into his mind this is mostly sub-Freudian gibberish (not surprising in an Austrian film, and yes he does blame his mother!). Erwin Leder has been praised for his role but really all he has to do is look bug eyed for most of the film. Kargl shoots the film informatively but he lacks any narrative skill and completely mishandles the killings - they look more laughable than anything. The only scene that develops any tension is early on in a café and involves eating a sausage!. That Kargl never directed again is really no surprise. To sum up an interesting one for exploitation fans but not really worth seeking out for anyone else. (True crime fans may note that some elements of the film are similar to the later case of Jack Unterweger).