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Poster for Cobra Verde

Cobra Verde

1987 · 1h 51m · Not Rated Adventure, Drama
Directed by Werner Herzog

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Overview

A fearsome 19th century bandit, Cobra Verde cuts a swath through Brazil until he arrives at the sugar plantation of Don Octávio Countinho. Not knowing that his new guest is the notorious bandit and impressed by his ruthless ways, Don Octávio hires Cobra Verde to oversee his slaves. But when Cobra Verde impregnates Don Octávio’s three daughters, the incensed plantation owner exiles the outlaw to Africa where he is expected to reopen the slave trade. Following his trans-Atlantic journey, Cobra Verde exploits tribal conflicts to commandeer an abandoned fortress and whips an army of naked warriors into a frenzied bloodlust as he vies for survival.

Director and cast

Critics on Rotten Tomatoes

Top critics, in their words

All reviews
82%
Tomatometer
Fresh

The type of crazed, folkloric epic that Germany's own De Niro-Scorsese duo usually excelled at.

Mark Holcomb, Time Out New York
Fresh

The final third of this film contains sequences of horrifying sublimity and ethereal beauty, moments that have a clarity and power beyond the reach of reason.

A.O. Scott, New York Times
Rotten

Verde is too blankly amoral to sustain interest, but the film has isolated moments of haunting poetry.

J. R. Jones, Chicago Reader
Fresh

It's easy to understand why this was Herzog's final collaboration with the actor, but Kinski's performance nevertheless serves up a potent confusion of documentary and fiction that has long been an essential element of Herzog's filmmaking.

Ed Halter, Village Voice
Rotten

Though less apocalyptical than usual, the imagery is as lavish as ever, but the film is wrecked by an underwritten narrative.

Time Out

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