Woyzeck (1979) review — Herzog's harrowing masterpiece in realism

☆☆☆☆1⁄2

Werner Herzog's 1979 German-language classic, based on Georg Büchner's unfinished play by the same name, follows titular character Franz Woyzeck (Klaus Kinski), a hapless soldier participating in odd jobs and food experiments for a doctor such as a diet of exclusively peas to earn money for his lover, Marie (Eva Mattes), and their baby. Soon, these experiments begin to show adverse effects on his health and relationship.

Spoilers ahead.

Woyzeck is noticeably different from Herzog's other efforts. There's a classical format to it; long, static shots of wide open spaces or close-ups of the actors' faces, a classical soundtrack with Beethoven and Vivaldi. It reminds me of silent films, actually, like those old Expressionist films. It plays like a stage production, nowhere near as grand as the likes of Aguirre, The Wrath of God (1972) or Fitzcarraldo (1982). I think that gives some charm to it. The same crew and star were used from Nosferatu the Vampyre (1979), and was started five days after the filming of that movie ended. It was completed in eighteen days as well, impressively, with most shots in one take, and edited in four. You can always count on Herzog for finding some feat to accomplish in anything.

This was my first watch of 2026. Literally, the moment it was midnight on New Year's, I figured I wanted to look at Klaus Kinski's face for 82 minutes. Speaking of, Herzog continuously uses close-ups for him, and I think that's where a highlight for his acting is. Kinski could have told a story with his eyes alone. The eyes of a madman. Magnetic. I always figured that's way he was hailed as such a fantastic actor for so long; he played madmen because he was one. If he knew that or just saw himself as some tortured artist. The latter is more likely. He is fantastic in this though, the highlight of this movie. He plays the vulnerable Woyzeck's devastating descent into madness perfectly, building up and up until that final harrowing act after being pushed down deeper by the oppression and cruelty of those around him, ridiculed and cheated on and treated like an animal. Kinski was also blessed with an equally fantastic co-star, Eva Mattes. Mattes is brilliant in this, so sorrowful in a way which matched him completely. Apparently, despite Kinski's track record for treating everyone around him like dirt, he actually quite liked Mattes, with him walking her home and such, which I thought was interesting.

I do find the ending in general to be perfect. Marie's murder is ritualistic, it is harrowing. Prolonged, drawn out, and devastating. It's slowed, an old folk song in the background. It is the most uncomfortable murder scene I've seen in a movie. Kinski's expression is unforgettable. You can feel the complete and utter horror of the act, as though you were there. It's not sensational, Woyzeck and his lover dive off-screen as he stabs her to death, but it's still deeply terrifying in a way many horror movies cannot depict. The scene where he hallucinates himself drenched in blood as he tries to dispose of the knife in the pond and tries to clean it, only to drown, is fantastic as well. Just a static shock as he moves deeper into the darkness, rambling about cleaning the blood stains from himself. Very Lady Macbeth.

The setting and cinematography is gorgeous. It's not a typically beautiful movie. It's realistic, it's natural. It opens with stunning shots of a peaceful Czechoslovak town (filmed in Telč), Beethoven played on the celeste in the background. It's so empty, so full of peace that the coming violence comes as a shock to the audience.

Woyzeck is unlike Herzog's other aspirational efforts. There's no men lost in jungles or hauling steamships over mountains. It simply depicts the loss of self, the descent of a haunted man deeper and deeper until he is pushed to unspeakable violence.