Films about Hitler always tread a fine line. There is so much literature and awareness about the man, that getting it right historically is always going to be difficult. Unfortunately this film does not.
It is a film that fails on almost every level. The casting is very poor. John Cusack, although accomplished, simply does not fit the role of a Jewish art dealer. He should really stick to playing unconventional, awkward metropolitan characters (such as Rob Gordon in High Fidelity, or Eddie Thomas in America's Sweethearts). You spend the first 30 mins of the film trying to work out whether Max Rothman is American or German.
Noah Taylor is an equally unconvincing Hitler. His German accent is appalling (as are all the accents in the film) and what is supposed to be passionate speech delivery just comes across as deranged shouting, hardly motivating. It certainly is not his finest hour as an actor either. In fact, all the acting is awkward and slow. At no point do you feel entranced by the story.
The makers of this film look to portray Hitler as a very disturbed outsider, someone who you would not consider normal. However, this does not reflect popular historical opinion . Hitler was a normal man; and there-in lies the terror. He cared for his family, was a loving father and was no different from many other man you might meet on the street. That is why he is so terrifying, as he reflects the terrible potential of the human race, the potential that all of us have. He was simply a product of the political climate of his country at the time. The major problem with this film is that they ignore this, they impose the atrocities of WWII onto the early Hitler character. They portray him as a half formed monster, ready to tip over the edge of sanity and start on his quest for power. Something that does not hold water as you watch it. Again, another area where this film fails. The suspense that I imagine the producers were hoping to generate, of whether Hitler might be saved from politics by art, is completely lacking.
This film is trying to make you think and be a bit alternative. Quite simply, it fails to do this.
It is a film that fails on almost every level. The casting is very poor. John Cusack, although accomplished, simply does not fit the role of a Jewish art dealer. He should really stick to playing unconventional, awkward metropolitan characters (such as Rob Gordon in High Fidelity, or Eddie Thomas in America's Sweethearts). You spend the first 30 mins of the film trying to work out whether Max Rothman is American or German.
Noah Taylor is an equally unconvincing Hitler. His German accent is appalling (as are all the accents in the film) and what is supposed to be passionate speech delivery just comes across as deranged shouting, hardly motivating. It certainly is not his finest hour as an actor either. In fact, all the acting is awkward and slow. At no point do you feel entranced by the story.
The makers of this film look to portray Hitler as a very disturbed outsider, someone who you would not consider normal. However, this does not reflect popular historical opinion . Hitler was a normal man; and there-in lies the terror. He cared for his family, was a loving father and was no different from many other man you might meet on the street. That is why he is so terrifying, as he reflects the terrible potential of the human race, the potential that all of us have. He was simply a product of the political climate of his country at the time. The major problem with this film is that they ignore this, they impose the atrocities of WWII onto the early Hitler character. They portray him as a half formed monster, ready to tip over the edge of sanity and start on his quest for power. Something that does not hold water as you watch it. Again, another area where this film fails. The suspense that I imagine the producers were hoping to generate, of whether Hitler might be saved from politics by art, is completely lacking.
This film is trying to make you think and be a bit alternative. Quite simply, it fails to do this.