It's no secret that the best art is often made by collaborators who "challenge" each other. In some cases, the band breaks up. In others, success eases the friction. In My Best Fiend we see a third outcome: Film director Werner Herzog continues to admire and employee his most noted and notorious leading man, Klaus Kinski, despite an escalating series of tantrums, physical altercations, and bouts of madness. This documentary takes a loving look at Kinski and his, um, peculiarities, focussing on the work he did with Herzog, including Aguirre, the Wrath of God, the amazing Fitzcarraldo, and several other films. If you are already a fan, you might want to pick up Herzog/Kinski, a box set containing Fiend and the dynamic duo's five best-known films.

Harold Check