'Maxwell' depicts, in a fictional manner, the last few months of the businessman Robert Maxwell, prior to his mysterious disappearance from his yacht in 1991. It is set almost entirely in Maxwell's offices, revealing his taste for luxury and opulence, and, as a result, would work very well as a play.
The title character, understandably, dominates the film and appears in almost all of the shots. Even when he is offscreen, his presence is there as the other characters are inevitably talking about him. In some instances, he is effectively 'present' as he is listening to them through the bugging devices that he planted in the offices and telephones of his closest associates. This demands an actor of serious presence and convincing gravitas; fortunately, in David Suchet the film has such an actor, able to combine Maxwell's seductive charm (including his low, gravelly voice) with his sharp mind and his dominating, bullying personality. Although the crude, 'macho' Maxwell is a long way from the fastidious, effete Hercule Poirot that Suchet is often associated with, he is still convincing in the role.
The question that arose after Maxwell's death was, 'How was he able to get away with what he did to such a degree and for so long?' and this film skilfully answers that in a realistic and meaningful manner. Whilst his subordinates may or may not have been as innocent of direct involvement in his illegal activities as the film insinuates is another matter, but his intimidating manner and clever manipulation of his assets - like a magician - made it credible that he could conceal his activities so well. The difficulty of standing up to him is revealed - those around him were not portrayed as weak, sycophantic lackeys; the way that he bullied his son in front of his senior colleagues or the 'Daily Mirror' editors was a not-so-subtle hint of how they could expect to be treated were they to defy or disagree with him themselves.
If this was based upon a fictional character the film could be criticised for being somewhat repetitive and lacking in imagination, with some of the 'minor characters' such as his wife and son, his personal secretary and the newly-appointed financial director (who tries to make sense of the deliberately complex 'Maxwell empire') being shown as somewhat one-dimensional individuals. However, the fact that Maxwell was real and his activities are a matter of (recent) historical record makes the film compelling, albeit chilling, to watch.
The title character, understandably, dominates the film and appears in almost all of the shots. Even when he is offscreen, his presence is there as the other characters are inevitably talking about him. In some instances, he is effectively 'present' as he is listening to them through the bugging devices that he planted in the offices and telephones of his closest associates. This demands an actor of serious presence and convincing gravitas; fortunately, in David Suchet the film has such an actor, able to combine Maxwell's seductive charm (including his low, gravelly voice) with his sharp mind and his dominating, bullying personality. Although the crude, 'macho' Maxwell is a long way from the fastidious, effete Hercule Poirot that Suchet is often associated with, he is still convincing in the role.
The question that arose after Maxwell's death was, 'How was he able to get away with what he did to such a degree and for so long?' and this film skilfully answers that in a realistic and meaningful manner. Whilst his subordinates may or may not have been as innocent of direct involvement in his illegal activities as the film insinuates is another matter, but his intimidating manner and clever manipulation of his assets - like a magician - made it credible that he could conceal his activities so well. The difficulty of standing up to him is revealed - those around him were not portrayed as weak, sycophantic lackeys; the way that he bullied his son in front of his senior colleagues or the 'Daily Mirror' editors was a not-so-subtle hint of how they could expect to be treated were they to defy or disagree with him themselves.
If this was based upon a fictional character the film could be criticised for being somewhat repetitive and lacking in imagination, with some of the 'minor characters' such as his wife and son, his personal secretary and the newly-appointed financial director (who tries to make sense of the deliberately complex 'Maxwell empire') being shown as somewhat one-dimensional individuals. However, the fact that Maxwell was real and his activities are a matter of (recent) historical record makes the film compelling, albeit chilling, to watch.