Believe it or not, he may have a bit too much information here. Dr. Mabuse just has too much to tell about it: the production history, the sociological and political parallels, the alternate versions, etc. Trying to put it all into one film (despite the long running time, a Lang trademark) seems like trying to rush everything, and this is something that I only say rarely (as often commentaries focus too much on one thing specifically, rather than trying to discuss a concept.) Still, if one is to have a complaint, that would be the best one to have. It's obvious he knows his information on the subject, and it's a must-have for any Lang fan (especially when he details how Lang didn't quite "run out of the country" when he was approached by the Nazis.)

Kalat mentions that The Testament of Dr. Mabuse is actually the sequel to two prior Lang films, Dr. Mabuse—The Gambler and M. He talks at length about the film’s themes, like the failure of communication. Kalat also points out that Lang’s film anticipated jigsaw puzzle movies like Memento where the audience is uncertain how individual scenes affect the overall film.