With Das Kanu des Manitu, Michael “Bully” Herbig returns to his roots, even though he proved five years ago with a really strong thriller that he can do so much more.
It’s already one of the sensational announcements of the cinema year: Michael Herbig is returning to the world of Der Schuh des Manitu after 23 years to shoot part 2. With almost 12 million viewers, the western comedy is one of the most successful German films ever. Das Kanu des Manitu is set to repeat this box-office dream, with plenty of nostalgia and the familiar faces from Bullyparade.
Alongside Herbig, Christian Tramitz and Rick Kavanian are at the start. Wait, somehow that sounds familiar. Didn’t we just have this reunion in Herbig’s personal Avengers? Yes, indeed: Bullyparade – The Movie was released in 2017. Unfortunately, it’s a forgettable best-of of the old gags. So I was all the more thrilled when Herbig presented his most ambitious directorial work to date a year later: Balloon.
Michael “Bully” Herbig has delivered a gripping thriller in the footsteps of Hitchcock with Balloon
Balloon takes us back to 1979. Based on true events, Herbig tells the story of two families from the GDR who join forces to flee to the West in a home-made hot air balloon. Admittedly, at first glance it looks like a tired TV two-parter. However, Herbig transforms the material into a gripping piece of suspense cinema and emulates well-known role models.
You can watch the trailer for Ballon here:
This includes none other than the master of suspense himself, Alfred Hitchcock. From the very first minutes, the tension sets in, the rooms become darker, cooler and tighter. Herbig creates an uncomfortable atmosphere that makes the sweat on his characters’ foreheads palpable at every second. Every attempt to escape increases the thrill. The bomb under the table is ticking.
Herbig was never at a loss for role models. They are clearly recognizable in his work. They are quoted and satirized. Even more: they are embraced. What I admire most about Herbig’s cinema is his love for all the genre material he parodies on the surface. But in truth, every Shoe of Manitou would love to be a real western. And every (T)Starship Surprise a real Star Wars/Star Trek.
Why Der Schuh des Manitu 2 is a step backwards for Michael “Bully” Herbig and German cinema
Herbig has brought all the blockbusters that are difficult to make in German cinema to the big screen disguised as parodies. Der Schuh des Manitu works just as well as a comedy as it does as an adventure film, while (T)Raumschiff Surprise has a flair for sci-fi images that are not necessarily familiar from local productions, such as the fast-paced chase in a space cab.
((T)Spaceship Surprise)
It still took some time before Herbig was able to unleash his genre enthusiasm for the first time without the comedic framework. With Ballon, he was on the cusp of forming a German blockbuster cinema that didn’t exist in this form. I’d love to see more from this curious filmmaker instead of the one who returns to the things he’s done (successfully) countless times.
To read more: This is how Michael Herbig reacts to the Schuh des Manitu criticism
With the announcement of Das Kanu des Manitu, we land back in the 2000s. Of course, it’s exciting to see Herbig working with Western settings again. Last but not least, the Der Schuh des Manitu brand must now stand the test of time. But all of this is a reaction to something in the past. As a director, Herbig couldn’t be further away from the ambitions that lay dormant in Ballon.
