Werner Herzog pretends to believe in the American Dream in order that he may later pretend to be disillusioned. The early part of the movie appears to be directed in R.W. Fassbinder's shadow, as three hoodlums, who act as if they have escaped from a TV cop show, mercilessly persecute a slothful prostitute and a sunken-chested ex-convict. This pair of society's orphans are joined by a third, an unwanted Senior Citizen, and together they set off on a journey that takes them to the agrarian promised land of Wisconsin, musically accompanied by Chet Atkins and soprano chorus ("Are you going away with no word or farewell? Will there be not a trace left behind?"). There has always been an air of the tourist about Herzog -- he has a voraciously roving eye for the piquant, and practically no eye at all for normalcy -- but none of his movies has ever depended quite so much for its interest on the quality of his "finds." At that level, the movie breaks down into an unpredictable parade of hits and misses. With Bruno S. of Kaspar Hauser. (1977) — Duncan Shepherd
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