'Max' humanises Hitler too much

On such small things does history often turn; Adolf Hitler, while an impoverished student in Austria, fancied himself a potentially outstanding artist and when he was consistently rejected his future course was set.

Max

Director: Menno Meyjes

Cast: John Cusack, Noah Taylor, Leelee Sobieski, Molly Parker, Ulrich Thomsen

Cert: 15.

If only somebody had bought his paintings!

On such small things does history often turn; Adolf Hitler, while an impoverished student in Austria, fancied himself a potentially outstanding artist (he sold his third-rate sketches around Vienna) and when he was consistently rejected his future course was set. He painted Europe and North Africa in blood red.

This curious, if seriously intended, drama considers Hitler's days as a young artist, taken up by a Jewish art dealer, the Max of the title. The film thereafter considers the above-mentioned argument: if Hitler had been a better painter would he have left the rest of us in blissful peace?

The film has been accused of humanising Hitler too much - and Taylor does bring us a finely-balanced portrayal of the man - though it remains a valid argument. The surprising weakness of the film is in the portrayal of Max by Cusack, one of the finest actors in the business. Nobody is helped by a fairly indifferent screenplay, packed with some awful lines, and what should have been a more thought-provoking film simply doesn't materialise.

Star Rating: 1/5