Klaus Kinski strikes me as just being a plain dickhead. Apologies and everything, but I just don't see him as a great actor. In fact, I find his performances too over-the-top and silly.
But what I really do love, is that Werner Herzog can make a film about making a film with this shithead. It's so funny and disturbing in parts, and just a really great study of the man and his craft.
I love how Werner Herzog starts riffing on stuff in such a misanthropic way. There's this one bit where he reacts to how Kinski used to describe the jungle as "erotic", and then Herzog goes off on one of his wicked rants about, "When I look around the jungle all I see is death and decay, cannibalism and obscenity." Some shit like that, and then he's all like, "But I love it. Klaus didn't, despite his claims that he did."
And that's his way of stitching Kinski up -- he shows his absurdity, his disconnection with reality, and his hypocrisy, whereas Herzog's view of things is equally manic, but more in touch with reality, and more realistic. Or something.
There's love for Kinski in there too. And he doesn't just focus on the overblown, exaggerated elements of Kinski's outbursts on set. He tries to paint an entire picture of the man. 9/10
