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Max

Movie Details

MPAA Rating: R
Content Advisory: Adult Situations, Watch With Your Teen
Movie Release: 2002
DVD Release: 05/20/2003
Format: DVD - Enhanced Wide Screen Letterbox for 16x9 TV - Closed Captioned
Subtitles: English, Spanish
SwapaDVD Credits: 1
Number of Discs: 1
Run Time: 1 hrs 48 mins
Studio: Lions Gate
Members Wishing: 1
Genres: Drama, Period Film, Biopic [feature]

DVD Synopsis

In the wake of his rise to power, Adolf Hitler became known as perhaps the most villainous and destructive political leader of the 20th century. But what was he like before he formed the Nazi party? Screenwriter and director Menno Meyjes explores that question in this drama, a work of fiction keyed to the fact that Hitler unsuccessfully pursued a career as an artist following World War I. In 1918, Max Rothman (John Cusack) is a former artist who lost an arm during the war. While Max can no longer create, his eye for talent is as keen as ever, so he has become a successful art dealer, specializing in Modernists such as George Grosz. Max's success has brought him a fine home and a beautiful wife, Nina (Molly Parker); he's also acquired a mistress, Liselore (Leelee Sobieski), a lovely young woman with artistic aspirations of her own. One day, Max meets Adolf Hitler (Noah Taylor), an emotionally intense, fellow war veteran who has found himself penniless in Munich. Adolf fancies himself an artist, and while Max isn't especially impressed with his technique, he sees in him a burning passion and a desire to communicate, so he encourages Adolf to express his demons through his art. While Adolf takes Max's advice to heart and strikes up a friendship with him, Max's friends find Adolf's open advocation of anti-Semitism rather troubling; Max, who is Jewish, simply chalks Adolf's attitudes up to unpleasant wartime experiences. But as Adolf immerses himself more deeply into his political interests and his thoughts on social engineering, he begins to leave painting behind in favor of a more interesting art form, the political arena. Max marked the first directorial effort of noted screenwriter Meyjes. ~ Mark Deming, All Movie Guide

Editorial Review of DVD

John Cusack stars in the historical drama Max, released on DVD by Trimark. Presented with a widescreen transfer and Dolby Digital Stereo sound. Extra features include audio commentary with director Menno Meyjes and more. ~ Andrea LeVasseur, All Movie Guide

Member Movie Reviews

RD C. (allepaca) from TEMPE, AZ wrote on 10/25/2009...

As usual, Cusack is excellent. His smooth yet flawed, good-natured but jaded, crippled upper-class war veteran is a perfect metaphor for all of the non-Nazis who lived in Germany between the wars... as well as a larger reference to the "good Germans" in any society who reject, yet dangerously ignore, the tide of racial and social hatred.

I suppose it's a matter of taste, but I can't see why some people rag on Taylor for his portrayal of the young Hitler. I mean, c'mon-- how would YOU play a somewhat talented, overly-idealistic, twisted loser who ultimately became one of the worst monsters of all time? "Over-acted"?? Hey, what IS a political demagogue, if not the perfect example of "over-acting gone wild"? Only those who were actually there will ever know what he was really like... and they're pretty much all dead. I think Taylor's interpretation is quite good-- appropriately pathetic, driven, confused, seethingly bitter, and at the complete mercy of happenstance.

Anyway, the point of the film (hence, it's title) is the art dealer, Max, and his quandary of how to encourage the talent of a twisted youth-- in whom he sees some real possibility, and for whom he shares a war veteran's common sympathy-- without unduly disturbing his own adventurous and bourgeois lifestyle, or possibly risking wasted time & effort with yet another artistic wannabe. It's as much a film about the art marketing world-- with all it's pretensions, glamour, and quirks-- than it is about politics.

It's a testament to the skill of the filmmakers, that you'll find yourself hoping, wishing, longing for Max to succeed in his attempts to turn Hitler's seething energy toward a successful approach to painting... even though you know that he never will.