It's a good thing they tried to change things around about and picked a different approach again. After all, this was the seventh Dr. Mabuse movie that was made, so everything had basically already been done before. It's not that the came up with a terribly originally concept are anything like that but at least they changed the settings and went along with different characters again, except for the villainous Dr. Mabuse of course, who is still as evil as ever and unfolds a new plan to take over the world, starting with London this time, using yet again mind controlling technologies.
The story is of course quite ridicules but at the same time it also works out rather well, also especially when being compared to some of the other '60's Dr. Mabuse movies. The whole crime/mystery elements of the movie are being handled quite well.
So out of all the Dr. Mabuse movies, this one really ain't among the worst, although it obviously also doesn't come noway close to the first three Dr. Mabuse movies, directing by Fritz Lang.
The acting in the movie really varies. The one moment it is great, the other its simple poor. The movie also features Klaus Kinski, in a quite early role and also yet AGAIN Werner Peters. He had appeared in 4 Dr. Mabuse movies before, each time in a totally different role, to which this movie also forms no exception. How confusing do you want things to be? Also Wolfgang Preiss reappears again in this movie as the villainous Dr. Mabuse again, for the fifth and last time, though only as the 'ghost' of Dr. Mabuse this time.
It's a quite funky movie. It has a typical funky '60's style, that all of the previous '60's Dr. Mabuse movies also had. Still the movie is shot in atmospheric black & white, which also provides the movie with a certain type of old fashioned atmosphere and overall style.
Yet another fine, perfectly watchable Dr. Mabuse movie entry.
7/10
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