(rated R, 108)
This movie about Adolf Hitler discouraged by an art critic to become a painter, gives new meaning to the term “Frustrated Artist.” Set in 1920s Munich, the story centers on the friendship between Max (John Cusack), a famed Jewish art gallery owner and a young art student named Adolf Hitler (Noah Taylor). Attempting to take Hitler under his wing and teach him the craft, Max suggests that Hitler take his pent up energy and anger, and put it to canvas. But Hitler can’t seem to do that. He can however, walk around town negatively interpreting everybody else’s artwork, though he loved Cubism and loved Jews, while complaining he’s returned from war minus an address or even a family. All he has does seem to have is the ‘conviction’ that he’s a great artist. Yet, Max emotionally steals from that, eventually sending Hitler into an angry place (that’s an understatement). Cusack is superb as Hitler’s muse and the philandering socialite keeping up the facade with his lovely wife Nina (Molly Parker) and his mistress (Leelee Sobieski, underused in her role). And, the movie’s cinematographer chose dark, gray, steel shots to enhance the canvas’s coming to life with splashes of color. The good news is the movie is so well done, we are never sure where the fiction kicks in and the history ends. Witnessing Hitler discover his “New World Order” with charcoal and red pencils is enough to give you chills of things to come. Guess a movie on Hitler as an artist proves on
