Hans Landa. Are his plaudits earned or overboard?
Absolutely the finest performance of the movie is Waltz’s. In fact, Waltz ironically uses the superb screenplay to turn out perhaps the best and most dimensional Nazi villain in moviedom, certainly rivaling Ralph Fiennes’ portrayal of concentration camp commandant Amon Goeth in Steven Spielberg’s, “Schindler’s List.” If there is any screen Nazi displaying the “banality of evil” of Nazi power, then Waltz plays him. He should get a Best Actor nod (his character is really the main male role, not that of Brad Pitt.) One thing that struck me as real Tarantino artistry: in none of Waltz’s scenes is there any soundtrack other than dialog – no music, no sound effects except the sound of something actually happening onscreen. The effect is chilling and very effective.
