World on a Wire (1973)

100% of critics liked it
(21 reviews)
80% of users liked it
(2,040 ratings)

A dystopic science-fiction epic, World on a Wire is German wunderkind Rainer Werner Fassbinder's gloriously cracked, boundlessly inventive take on future paranoia. With dashes of Kubrick, Vonnegut, and Dick, but a flavor entirely his own, Fassbinder tells the noir-spiked tale of reluctant action… More A dystopic science-fiction epic, World on a Wire is German wunderkind Rainer Werner Fassbinder's gloriously cracked, boundlessly inventive take on future paranoia. With dashes of Kubrick, Vonnegut, and Dick, but a flavor entirely his own, Fassbinder tells the noir-spiked tale of reluctant action hero Fred Stiller (Klaus Lowitsch), a cybernetics engineer who uncovers a massive corporate and governmental conspiracy. At risk? Our entire (virtual) reality as we know it. This long unseen three-and-a-half-hour labyrinth is a satiric and surreal look at the weird world of tomorrow from one of cinema's kinkiest geniuses. -- (C) Janus

Rating, Runtime: Unrated, 3 hr. 5 min.
Directed By: Rainer Werner Fassbinder
Written By: Rainer Werner Fassbinder, Daniel F. Galouye, Fritz Muller-Scherz
Genres: Drama, Television, Art House & International, Science Fiction & Fantasy

In Theaters: Jul 22, 2011 Limited
On DVD: Feb 21, 2012
Studio: Janus Films

Critic Reviews

Roger Ebert, Chicago Sun-Times
If you know Fassbinder, you might want to see this as an exercise of his mind, a demonstration of how one of his stories might be transformed by the detachment of science fiction.
Richard Brody, New Yorker
Both an astonishing display of precocious cinematic virtuosity and an anguished avowal of its psychic toll.
Andrew O'Hehir, Salon.com
A mini-masterpiece of the 1970s European design aesthetic and a major addition to the immense and baffling oeuvre of Fassbinder...
Mark Jenkins, Washington Post
Seen now, the movie seems as timely as it is outdated, its themes contemporary even if its clothing and hairdos are anything but.
Lisa Alspector, Chicago Reader
It's astonishing that such painfully obvious themes can also be so painfully provocative.
A.O. Scott, New York Times
Fassbinder and his longtime cinematographer, Michael Ballhaus, move the camera, alighting as if by accident on resonant and complex compositions, is nothing short of breathtaking.
Matthew Sorrento, IdentityTheory
Fassbinder could take on any style and make it his own.
Christopher Long, Movie Metropolis
Pardon me if I get a little choked up, but this is Rainer Werner Fassbinder we're talking about.
James Kendrick, Q Network Film Desk
a film of ideas and questions whose prescient take on virtual reality, artificial intelligence, and the moral responsibility humans have toward machines made in their likeness presages such millennial films "The Matrix" and "A.I. Artificial Intelligence"
Eric Melin, Scene-Stealers.com
A visually impressive tale full of mysterious characters and a dark sense of humor, Fassbender's film is also a densely plotted, surrealistic film full of plenty of twists.
Sean Axmaker, Turner Classic Movies Online
... a heady, witty, stylistically audacious, highly compelling, and very entertaining science fiction thriller years ahead of its time.
Budd Wilkins, Slant Magazine
Criterion presents World on a Wire, a rediscovered Fassbinder mindbender, in a luxe Blu-ray transfer, along with some choice extras.
Shawn Levy, Oregonian
"World on a Wire" is genuinely breathtaking: a long, satisfying encounter with the relatively newly hatched Fassbinder spinning off an epic story with effortless, masterful ease.
John Hartl, Seattle Times
It starts slowly, then develops an irresistible momentum.
Peter Keough, Boston Phoenix
A philosophical mystery thriller done with self-conscious camp and insouciant profundity.
Simon Abrams, Slant Magazine
Fassbinder, who also co-adapted the film's screenplay, usually makes a point of undermining the affectation of his melodramas with jarring intrusions of camp.
Norman Wilner, NOW Toronto
When the action slows down for characters to trade deep insights about the nature of reality, you can just bliss out on the production design and wardrobe.
Fernando F. Croce, House Next Door
Fassbinder's film startles as a truly Borgesian, trenchant political vision of order as artificial reality.
Dennis Schwartz, Ozus' World Movie Reviews
This is Fassbinder at the top of his game.

Read all 19 critic reviews

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Featured Audience Ratings

Matheus C

A masterful sci-fi that predates "The Matrix" by three decades, it shows how master German filmmaker Rainer W. Fassbinder's complete control over the cinematography, set and production desing and the actor's stylized acting create a stylized dystopian world that… More
A masterful sci-fi that predates "The Matrix" by three decades, it shows how master German filmmaker Rainer W. Fassbinder's complete control over the cinematography, set and production desing and the actor's stylized acting create a stylized dystopian world that rivals modern sci-fi. Besides the visual wonder, there's a lot of food for thought as well. George Orwell would have been proud.
Chris B

"World on a Wire" is a very bizarre and complex film of the science-fiction genre that is very noir-like and haunting in it's visuals and narrative. The film is a slow and atmospheric look into a dystopic future involving a super advanced computer that can be used to… More
"World on a Wire" is a very bizarre and complex film of the science-fiction genre that is very noir-like and haunting in it's visuals and narrative. The film is a slow and atmospheric look into a dystopic future involving a super advanced computer that can be used to create alternate worlds that people can go into using advanced programs. This is very much like "The Matrix" but more focused on mood and character development than action and entertainment. While I enjoyed the film immensely and was fascinated with it's visuals, especially the use of mirrors and varying angles and camerawork used, it also tended to drag in places and have a very loose narrative structure. For someone who appreciate complex science-fiction films that play off atmosphere and mood, this is one of the best and most fascinating from Rainer Werner Fassbinder.
Robert F

A bit of a slog at 205 minutes, World on a Wire builds up to a satisfyingly nutty finale.

Cast

            Margit Carstensen as Maya Schmidt-Gentner

            Ingrid Caven as Uschi journalist

            Peter Chatel as Hirse secretary of state

            Eddie Constantine as Man in Rolls Royce

            Ivan Desny as Guenther Lause uncle of Eva Vollmer

            Liselotte Eder as Data typist

            Joachim Hansen as Hans Edelkern

            Gottfried John as Einstein

            Elma Karlowa as Keeper of Cafeteria

            Christine Kaufmann as Party guest

            Peter Kern as Hospital orderly

            Günter Lamprecht as Fritz Walfang

            Rudolf Lenz as Hartmann

            Klaus Lowitsch as Fred Stiller

            Christiane Maybach as Lady at the bar

            Peter Moland as Employee

            El Hedi ben Salem as Bodyguard

            Karl Scheydt as Inspector Stuhlfahrt

            Barbara Valentin as Gloria Fromm

            Ulli Lommel as Rupp journalist

            Magdalena Montezuma as Party guest

            Kurt Raab as Mark Holm

            Werner Schroeter as Party guest

            Katrin Schaake as Computer lab assistant

            Heinz Meier as Von Weinlaub secretary of state

            Rudolf Waldemar Brem as Hospital orderly

            Bruce Low as Doctor

            Walter Sedlmayr as Janitor

            Karl Heinz Vosgerau as Herbert Siskins
See full cast