"Der Todesengel" or "Angel of Death: Fûck or Die" (how charming!) is a German movie from 1998, so this one will have its 20th anniversary next year. It is one of the earlier career efforts by writer and director Andreas Bethmann and if you hear his name as well as the names Fehse and Rose, you probably already know what to expect here. Horror and gore galore, but you are only partially correct as the splatter and horror elements are not as frequent in here as I thought. Instead, also because of the addition of lead actress Manily May, this is at least 50% porn. There are several sex scenes, one rape scene early on that was intended to explain the revenge element of the film. But as you see I wrote "intended" as the lack of talent from pretty much everybody working on this one, in front of as well as behind the camera, turned this film into a huge stinker. Not even the girls were hot, but just sleazy and slutty and the story itself was all garbage. Realism did not exist in this film. Neither did the police. This film can also not be taken seriously as a guilty pleasure as it was even too bad for this kind of approach. You can argue that the people who made this probably had a fun time doing so, but as an audience member I don't think the viewer does by any means. The best/worst examples were probably when allegedly dead characters clearly moved their faces or when actors did something that did not fit the situation again with their face expression, like a girl was smiling when she pushed a rapist away instead of fighting for her life. So yeah, this film is garbage from start to finish and I find it shocking that there seems to be even a version out there that runs for almost three hours. I am pretty glad mine only went on for slightly under 1.5 hours and this was already unbearably bad that by no means I would have liked watching this crap any longer. Stay far far away.
10 Reviews
A joke of a movie about sex, rape, revenge, murder etc. and certainly not a good one
Horst_In_Translation3 May 2017
Warning: Spoilers
more nudity then horror
trashgang13 July 2009
Those Germans, they are known for their splatter scene. Timo Rose, Buttgereit and so on, but what they didn't dare was putting some explicit scene's in their movies. Mostly those movies aren't that good but do have some fame due the theme's used. Bethmann is someone different. He's known for his X Rated Kult label and his adoration for Joe D'Amato. Knowing Joe you know that he uses a lot of nudity. And that's what Bethmann uses too. This is one of his first attempts. And of course with German splatter you have a problem, first of all, it's in German without subs, second most of those flicks clock in above 2 hours. This one you could choose from 90 minutes (without the nudity) up to 161 minutes, guess what, I suffered the 161 minutes. The storyline is written in two seconds. Girl cars broke down, two guys helping her, they rape her, she takes revenge. What happens in between are scene's that have nothing to do with the storyline, a breaking up of a relation for example. Further on the gore isn't available for a whole time. In fact, the blood flows but in laughable ways. But we can forgive him, it's his first world wide known film (after Insel der Damonen). You can see when a guys head smashed in by a baseball bat he's waiting until the blow to spit the red stuff out. Again a funny scene when a guys girlfriend is pinned to a tree, he's calling the police to come to the forest to rescue him, huh, do coppers know where to go. You get it, it's full of those stupid sentences. There's one scene that may be offending, the necro scene. When the raped girl goes banana she turns out to become a lesbian slayer, but first she has to kill some men. By taking them at her home she copulate with them, killing the unlucky guy and decapitate him, The head is then used to to bring it between her legs, full explicit. An ode to 'Nekromantik'. And the word has fallen, most of the girls go full nude, frontal and not in 70's fashion if you know what I mean, that's the reason why this flick is banned and cut for most than 70 minutes! It shows some girls explicit but it isn't porn because there are no cum shots or penetration shots. It's watchable but acting is extremely low. Bethmann had success with it and made Angel of Death 2, in fact nothing to do with number one and he made more explicit XXX horrors like Rozza Venezia and Excitus with porn stars. It isn't that easy to find his movies you really have to dig the net. Anyway, it's German.
Another Bethmann Sleaze Epic
Crap_Connoisseur16 July 2006
Andreas Bethmann is perhaps the sleaziest filmmaker currently unleashing filth upon the viewing public - and for that alone, I can't praise him highly enough. Bethmann's films are a heady mix of gore and sex (occasionally hardcore porn) with only the most tenuous storyline holding the whole debacle together. Der Todesengel, charmingly translated as "Angel Of Death - F**k Or Die", is an early example of Bethmann's unique brand of film-making. It may not be a very good movie but it definitely is memorable.
Der Todesengel has the kind of plot that usually fills the gaps between sex scenes in a porno. Despite having a plethora of subplots which basically involve women either stripping or being abused, the film ultimately shapes up as a battle of wills between a nude model turned lesbian assassin, Manila and an organised crime syndicate who specialise in pimping kidnapped women. After approximately an hour of seemingly random sex and violence, Manila finally appears in the film and is promptly raped by an idiotic pair of Bavarian gangsters and left for dead. Manila survives, but her ordeal changes her into a blood thirsty lesbian who embarks on a man killing rampage. In a quieter moment, Manila stumbles across the men who attacked her on the way to dispose of some body parts. This sets up the final battle as Manila takes on her attackers and their gang, wearing vinyl hot pants and sky high stilettos.
The first half of Der Todesengel is what I would describe as relatively harmless sleaze. There is sex and violence, and of course sexual violence, but the content is comparable to any number of Euro-sexploitation films of the 1970s. I suspect this material might have been used as padding (not that the film needed it - the uncut version of Der Todesengel has a mind-boggling running time of almost 3 hours) because the second half has an entirely different feel. The violence is nastier, the sex is more explicit and the film finally begins to feel somewhat cohesive and gathers momentum.
The film's second half contains enough carnage, torture, bondage and explicit sex to ensure Bethmann's reputation as the undisputed king of the modern video nasty. Bethmann's films do not have an ounce of political correctness in them and therein ultimately lies their value. Anything goes in this film - my "highlights" include Manila pleasing herself with a decapitated head, Manila finding time to masturbate while breaking into the enemy compound, a knifing reminiscent of the prostitute's fate in "Seven" and the infamous castration scene. This kind of material is obviously not for every taste but for all its excess, I find it hard to be shocked or offended by Der Todesengel. The violence is not realistic, the acting is amusingly awful and the sex will not shock anyone who has ever strayed into the adult section of their local video store. The combination of all these elements is occasionally confronting but more often than not the film is simply too ridiculous to be offensive.
Der Todesengel owes much of its appeal to its star, Manila May. This woman may be one of the least gifted actresses to ever appear in a film but what she lacks in acting talent, she more than makes up for with her enthusiasm and ability to keep a straight face during the film's more ridiculous moments. The film is technically a complete debacle. The lighting, sound, direction and cinematography are all pretty appalling. Bethmann's later films have improved somewhat in these areas but with this material, who really cares? Der Todesengel is a testament to Andreas Bethmann's sheer dedication to bad taste. And for that, I applaud him.
Der Todesengel has the kind of plot that usually fills the gaps between sex scenes in a porno. Despite having a plethora of subplots which basically involve women either stripping or being abused, the film ultimately shapes up as a battle of wills between a nude model turned lesbian assassin, Manila and an organised crime syndicate who specialise in pimping kidnapped women. After approximately an hour of seemingly random sex and violence, Manila finally appears in the film and is promptly raped by an idiotic pair of Bavarian gangsters and left for dead. Manila survives, but her ordeal changes her into a blood thirsty lesbian who embarks on a man killing rampage. In a quieter moment, Manila stumbles across the men who attacked her on the way to dispose of some body parts. This sets up the final battle as Manila takes on her attackers and their gang, wearing vinyl hot pants and sky high stilettos.
The first half of Der Todesengel is what I would describe as relatively harmless sleaze. There is sex and violence, and of course sexual violence, but the content is comparable to any number of Euro-sexploitation films of the 1970s. I suspect this material might have been used as padding (not that the film needed it - the uncut version of Der Todesengel has a mind-boggling running time of almost 3 hours) because the second half has an entirely different feel. The violence is nastier, the sex is more explicit and the film finally begins to feel somewhat cohesive and gathers momentum.
The film's second half contains enough carnage, torture, bondage and explicit sex to ensure Bethmann's reputation as the undisputed king of the modern video nasty. Bethmann's films do not have an ounce of political correctness in them and therein ultimately lies their value. Anything goes in this film - my "highlights" include Manila pleasing herself with a decapitated head, Manila finding time to masturbate while breaking into the enemy compound, a knifing reminiscent of the prostitute's fate in "Seven" and the infamous castration scene. This kind of material is obviously not for every taste but for all its excess, I find it hard to be shocked or offended by Der Todesengel. The violence is not realistic, the acting is amusingly awful and the sex will not shock anyone who has ever strayed into the adult section of their local video store. The combination of all these elements is occasionally confronting but more often than not the film is simply too ridiculous to be offensive.
Der Todesengel owes much of its appeal to its star, Manila May. This woman may be one of the least gifted actresses to ever appear in a film but what she lacks in acting talent, she more than makes up for with her enthusiasm and ability to keep a straight face during the film's more ridiculous moments. The film is technically a complete debacle. The lighting, sound, direction and cinematography are all pretty appalling. Bethmann's later films have improved somewhat in these areas but with this material, who really cares? Der Todesengel is a testament to Andreas Bethmann's sheer dedication to bad taste. And for that, I applaud him.
Don't watch it.
Baron_Vampire10 January 2004
Two bastards severely raped the woman and threw her in the forest. And a bit later she revenged them... It's the plot of this very long film. I suppose it was shot by TV camera. The movie contains many unnecessary moments and physically impossible things. One of the main heroes is the thin man and in one scene he punches the stomach of another guy and pulls out his guts. Absurd! The acting is awful, porn scenes are too soft for announced hardcore porn, gore effects are also bad made.
The movie is dedicated to Jesus Franco and Joe d'Amato and contains the scene where Manila May bites off the cock of the rapist. This scene is more graphic than the same moment in Joe d'Amato's film "Le notti erotiche dei morti-viventi".
I don't recommend you to watch this film. It's awfully shot and disgusting. This is the real VIDEO NASTY, but it's not so interesting as Joe d'Amato's or Jesus Franco's films. Don't watch it. 1 out of 1
The movie is dedicated to Jesus Franco and Joe d'Amato and contains the scene where Manila May bites off the cock of the rapist. This scene is more graphic than the same moment in Joe d'Amato's film "Le notti erotiche dei morti-viventi".
I don't recommend you to watch this film. It's awfully shot and disgusting. This is the real VIDEO NASTY, but it's not so interesting as Joe d'Amato's or Jesus Franco's films. Don't watch it. 1 out of 1
Manila turns killer.
BA_Harrison9 February 2014
Sexy model Manila (Manila May) is brutally assaulted by a pair of vicious slime-balls who abduct women to work in their prostitution ring. More than just a little off her rocker, Manila seeks revenge by murdering her attacker's whores, and then dons PVC hot-pants and hooker heels to teach the men an even harsher lesson.
As I type this, exploitation fans worldwide are mourning the loss of cult Spanish director Jess Franco, who devoted his life to creating cinematic sleaze; Franco's spirit lives on, however, in Andreas Bethmann, a man who also understands the artistic merit of a crotch shot, the allure of extreme misogyny, the appeal of sadism and the importance of gore, and who doesn't let a lack of technical prowess stop him from doing what he loves most—capturing as much of it on film as he possibly can.
Der Todesengel, one of Bethmann's earlier films, doesn't stray quite as far into XXX territory as some of his later work, but it's still 'hardcore', capturing moments of deviancy guaranteed to disturb all but the most desensitised of viewers. Rape, torture, and murder are the film's main selling points, with the dubious highlights including an emasculation via blow-job (bad guys never learn), Manila pleasuring herself with a decapitated head, the old 'pole up the hoo-ha and out the mouth' routine, and a gunshot in the 'holiest of holies' that erupts out of the skull.
It's clumsily directed, the acting is lousy (Manila May IS a porn star, after all), and most of the splatter is inept, but it's performed with such enthusiasm by its carefree cast of reprobates that one can't help but admire it just a little.
A little.
As I type this, exploitation fans worldwide are mourning the loss of cult Spanish director Jess Franco, who devoted his life to creating cinematic sleaze; Franco's spirit lives on, however, in Andreas Bethmann, a man who also understands the artistic merit of a crotch shot, the allure of extreme misogyny, the appeal of sadism and the importance of gore, and who doesn't let a lack of technical prowess stop him from doing what he loves most—capturing as much of it on film as he possibly can.
Der Todesengel, one of Bethmann's earlier films, doesn't stray quite as far into XXX territory as some of his later work, but it's still 'hardcore', capturing moments of deviancy guaranteed to disturb all but the most desensitised of viewers. Rape, torture, and murder are the film's main selling points, with the dubious highlights including an emasculation via blow-job (bad guys never learn), Manila pleasuring herself with a decapitated head, the old 'pole up the hoo-ha and out the mouth' routine, and a gunshot in the 'holiest of holies' that erupts out of the skull.
It's clumsily directed, the acting is lousy (Manila May IS a porn star, after all), and most of the splatter is inept, but it's performed with such enthusiasm by its carefree cast of reprobates that one can't help but admire it just a little.
A little.
Andreas Bethmann: give me back three hours of my life!
t_atzmueller20 October 2010
Warning: Spoilers
Right, I'm horror film fan of the purest sort. Occasionally they may well be of the harder, gorier type ala Peter Jacksons "Bad Taste" and I really don't care much if the movie had a big budget or not, as long as the spirit is right. I was the guy who giggled during "Guinea Pig: Flowers of Flesh and Blood" (because a lot of the effects were obvious). I sat through Olaf Ittenbachs "The Burning Moon" and was able to find something positive in it (although, if you ask me today, I couldn't tell you what it was). Yes, I confess! I watched "Men behind the Sun" while chowing on Ramen noodles! But there's a limit to everything and that limit starts during the opening credits of "Angel of Death"! To get the dire story over with: two sadistic, drug-selling thugs, Marc and Timo, drive around, killing and raping people seemingly at random. They assault the films "protagonist", stripper Manila (Manila May, in case you haven't figured), and viciously rape her. She's able to escape though and returns home to take a shower. Apart from turning her into a lesbian, the attack has triggered some psychopathic instincts inside Manila, who in turn goes around seducing and killing male and female victims. She than seeks her assailants – who in the meantime have spent good screen-time raping and killing more victims – inside an abandoned factory. Manila takes her revenge, butchering the killer duo (who, of course, manage to rape and kill Manila just at the moment of their own demise). Cast dead, film over.
I don't condemn the sadistic murder-death-kill in "Angel of Death" – the film is made for people who cannot wait to cross the next threshold of ultra-violence; for people who find sex and violence not offensive but for whom it is a way of life. What I condemn is that the film-makers didn't even bother to disguise that they've ripped off every murderous scene from other, way better movies. Manila May decapitating a man during coitus and using the head as a "massage stick"? Seen that in Joerg Buttgereits "Necromantik 2". Plugging eyeballs with spoons? Again, "Guinea Pig". Manila May being disposed off with a 'vaginal-head-shot' at the end? Now, where have I seen that? One can virtually smell the Styrofoam from which the pitiful props are cut, and then painted with watercolours from your younger brothers' art class equipment. The exploding heads are clearly visible as what they are: plastic bags filled with ketchup. Ed Wood would have been ashamed of so much shoddiness! Guns which aren't even prop guns but toy guns bought at the local supermarket. And all this is filmed with one cheap, shakily held video-camera and without the benefit of editing, lightning or extra microphones. Let's not loose too many words about the 'acting' and let's just say, it would demand real skill for any real actor – professional or amateur – to "act out" the sheer talent- and aimlessness of these performers. I've seen 3rd grader plays of "Alice in Wonderland", where the actors put more effort and dedication into their performances.
Now to the gratuitous nudity and porn, which the DVD-cover promises: the makers of "Caligula" would have laughed many a tear at such feeble attempts to produce pornography. True, Manila May is a veteran of her trade, who had soared to the Olympus of amateur porn with her masterpiece "Dr. C. Unt part 5" and has since descended into the sleazier end of the German fetish-porn-industry (let me say just so much: what in this industry is called "caviar"; that isn't fish-eggs). But the occasional detailed display of a female scrotum and fake semen doesn't yet make a porn film – especially in a time and age that is saturated with cyber-porn. (If the sub-genre of Horror-Porn sounds appealing to you, I recommend the French movie "Baise Moi" – it's all that "Angel of Death" wishes to be but isn't).
And the worst part: that maggot of a director had the good taste to stretch his epos to an epic 2 ½ hours, plus plenty bonus-material, 'behind-the-scenes' and interviews with cast and crew! I'm not so hard of heart that I would slam the labours of inspired amateurs – even James Cameron started off small. If you choose to upload and display your works on the internet, free for anybody to watch if they choose, well, I can always choose not to click it. But they're asking money for this film and that's were my tolerance ends. In addition, that's almost three hours of your life that you'll never get back (in case you think this review is too long, spending too much of your time – try sitting through "Angel of Death").
If, however, you ask me if there's something cheaper and sleazier on the market – something short of making a film with your kid's cell phone or Bethmanns other miserable products before and since – then I'll answer you truthfully: Andreas Papes "Hunting Creatures" - avoid like the plague! Still it gets nothing from me – only if I could give it a minus-rating for wasting my precio , well my time anyway!
I don't condemn the sadistic murder-death-kill in "Angel of Death" – the film is made for people who cannot wait to cross the next threshold of ultra-violence; for people who find sex and violence not offensive but for whom it is a way of life. What I condemn is that the film-makers didn't even bother to disguise that they've ripped off every murderous scene from other, way better movies. Manila May decapitating a man during coitus and using the head as a "massage stick"? Seen that in Joerg Buttgereits "Necromantik 2". Plugging eyeballs with spoons? Again, "Guinea Pig". Manila May being disposed off with a 'vaginal-head-shot' at the end? Now, where have I seen that? One can virtually smell the Styrofoam from which the pitiful props are cut, and then painted with watercolours from your younger brothers' art class equipment. The exploding heads are clearly visible as what they are: plastic bags filled with ketchup. Ed Wood would have been ashamed of so much shoddiness! Guns which aren't even prop guns but toy guns bought at the local supermarket. And all this is filmed with one cheap, shakily held video-camera and without the benefit of editing, lightning or extra microphones. Let's not loose too many words about the 'acting' and let's just say, it would demand real skill for any real actor – professional or amateur – to "act out" the sheer talent- and aimlessness of these performers. I've seen 3rd grader plays of "Alice in Wonderland", where the actors put more effort and dedication into their performances.
Now to the gratuitous nudity and porn, which the DVD-cover promises: the makers of "Caligula" would have laughed many a tear at such feeble attempts to produce pornography. True, Manila May is a veteran of her trade, who had soared to the Olympus of amateur porn with her masterpiece "Dr. C. Unt part 5" and has since descended into the sleazier end of the German fetish-porn-industry (let me say just so much: what in this industry is called "caviar"; that isn't fish-eggs). But the occasional detailed display of a female scrotum and fake semen doesn't yet make a porn film – especially in a time and age that is saturated with cyber-porn. (If the sub-genre of Horror-Porn sounds appealing to you, I recommend the French movie "Baise Moi" – it's all that "Angel of Death" wishes to be but isn't).
And the worst part: that maggot of a director had the good taste to stretch his epos to an epic 2 ½ hours, plus plenty bonus-material, 'behind-the-scenes' and interviews with cast and crew! I'm not so hard of heart that I would slam the labours of inspired amateurs – even James Cameron started off small. If you choose to upload and display your works on the internet, free for anybody to watch if they choose, well, I can always choose not to click it. But they're asking money for this film and that's were my tolerance ends. In addition, that's almost three hours of your life that you'll never get back (in case you think this review is too long, spending too much of your time – try sitting through "Angel of Death").
If, however, you ask me if there's something cheaper and sleazier on the market – something short of making a film with your kid's cell phone or Bethmanns other miserable products before and since – then I'll answer you truthfully: Andreas Papes "Hunting Creatures" - avoid like the plague! Still it gets nothing from me – only if I could give it a minus-rating for wasting my precio , well my time anyway!
This film was WONDERFUL!!!
Cobraaaaaaaaaa19 July 2009
I watched this with my family on Christmas (my daughter got it for me as a present) and we had a HOOT! The basic storyline is that a shoe repairman loses his memory and has to remind himself of who he is based off looking at all of his possessions in his apartment.... shoes! It's really hilarious. It follows this neat short story kind of motif where he'll pick up a pair of say dancing shoes then it cuts to a little flash backesque kind of thing where he imagines himself as a famous flamenco dancer! GREAT FILM! Watch it with your entire family. I don't want to say anything about the ending, but let's just say he comes out a different AND better man than he was in the begging of the movie.
Beware, be prepared and shower afterwards.
christopher-underwood15 February 2006
Hardly likable, this notorious rape and revenge from Mr Bethmann seems to say more about his fears than his desires. Actually more, rape, rape, rape and more rape, lots of gore and then some revenge, with a twist. Badly shot, appallingly scripted, this rambles along as two nerds who can only get a girl with a gun, falter and stumble in their attempt. Plenty of fear of castration on display and they even get other girls to do the torturing, pathetic mumblings seems all they are able to contribute. Some memorable set pieces, but does one want to remember them!? All in all a real mess but one cannot argue that one does not get what it says on the box. Beware, be prepared and shower afterwards.
Shot on video nasty
emrio-131 January 2003
The opening scene on this german sov has two scantily clothed ladies and a man who shoots the head off one of the ladies......Thats the start and from there it goes on its Mysognist way.Its cheap and nasty and excessively gory and just badly made.It ends with a tribute to Jess franco and joe[aristide messassaci] damato....aside from one or two nice erotic momments its just moronically violent.
German D'Amatos Masterpiece of Sleaze
Asmodian25 October 2001
Bethmann, who sees himself as German Joe D'Amato, made with "Todesengel" a really entertaining piece of pure Sleaze. The story is about a raped model (played by porn star Manila May), which takes bloody revenge. A mixture of amateur-gore, bad but entertaining acting, some semi-hardcore scenes, much blood and extremely bad taste. Anyone who can find some interesting in the work of Joe D'Amato should take a look. Watch out for the uncut version (2 1/2 hours long).
See also
Awards | FAQ | User Ratings | External Reviews | Metacritic Reviews
