Max 2002
Max ★★ 2002 (R)
Historical fantasy has an interesting premise: what would have happened if Adolf Hitler had been successful as an artist? In 1919, Hitler (Taylor) is a starving, embittered (but ambitious) war veteran in Munich who is befriended by Max Rothman (Cusack), a Jewish art dealer and fellow veteran who has just opened his own avant-garde gallery. Hitler's art is kitsch but Max encourages him anyway and shrugs off his rantings, which draw more attention from fellow Army officer Mayr (Thomsen). Mayr thinks Adolf would make a good political spokesman. Guess who was proved right? Rothman is a fictional character, Mayr is not, and the film drew a lot of protest for “humanizing” Hitler. The movie is flawed but not for that reason. 106m/C VHS, DVD . HU CA GB John Cusack, Noah Taylor, Leelee Sobieski, Molly Parker, David Horovitch, Janet Suzman, Peter Capaldi, Kevin McKidd, John Grillo, Ulrich Thomsen; D: Menno Meyjes; W: Menno Meyjes; C: Lajos Koltai; M: Dan (Daniel) Jones.