Cobra Verde

1987 Director Werner Herzog

In their final collaboration, Werner Herzog directs Klaus Kinski in the remarkable tale of Francisco Manoel da Silva, the flamboyant 19th century Brazilian bandit known as "Cobra Verde." Filmed on location with a cast of hundreds, Cobra Verde is a tale of adventure, greed and betrayal. It's the story of two worlds in collision, and of the man who was trapped between them.

When the owner of a sugar plantation unknowingly hires the barefoot, gun-toting thief to keep his slaves in check, he gets more than he bargained for as Cobra Verde, in short order, impregnates all of his boss's daughters. In revenge, he is sent on an impossible and deadly mission to sail to the west coast of Africa and re-open the slave trade. Not only does Cobra Verde succeed at this, he goes on to lead an unstoppable army of women in a savage war against the local king.

In this film Herzog has finally managed to reign in the mania that he unleashed in Kinski in the previous films. He shows a committed but compassionate man driven more by events than controlling them. This is a complex film, beautifully shot against the African backdrop with very unique and memorable locations.