Loved it but ........
I just watched this last night and absolutely loved it.
However I can’t totally see why people did not take to it.
The film is not beyond criticism.
I enjoyed it, although it took me a while to get into it. I think Herzog is trying to show the humorous side to the worst kind of madness, much like he did in Aguirre. Also, I enjoyed Michael Shannon's performance. It wasn't just the great one-liners; his performance (and the way his character was written) was actually incredibly convincing. I've dated a (mild) paranoid schizophrenic. Sometimes Shannon's performance rang all too true - like the way he was impelled to do things as if he had no choice over the matter; or how he thought minor random objects held some special significance. Then again,some parts of Shannon's performance seemed over the top. But those parts made me laugh hysterically, so I don't even care.
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