The Fine Art of Christoph Waltz

In a way, the name Christoph Waltz tells you all you need to know about the man. 'Christoph' - now that's an interesting name. Like Christopher, but not quite. You've seen actors like Christoph Waltz before probably, foreign actors who make a big splash in Hollywood with a very particular, somewhat exotic flair to their abilities when placed in the English vernacular. But no one quite like ol' Christoph. It's something I noticed the first time I watched a film with him in it; there's something inherently magnetic to his screen presence.

Waltz - a quick google search defines it as, either 'a dance in triple time performed by a couple, who turn rhythmically round and round as they progress around the dance floor', or to 'act casually, confidently, or inconsiderately'. Well the first definition seems to tie in perfectly with Mr Waltz's speech patterns; each line of dialogue from his mouth, even if it's in a language I don't understand, seems attuned to a very particular rhythm in a very particular time. Each word seems to have a little sets of steps that spins round and round the other words, halting and going again in particular moments, and in his longer monologues they deliciously tie in with each other to create a rather beautiful sound. This all paired with that unique Austrian accent of his, makes for quite the treat.

To 'act casually' - Waltz can certainly do that, sometimes to the detriment of some of his lesser Hollywood stock villain turns. He's never bad in the likes of Spectre, The Three Musketeer, The Green Hornet, The Legend of Tarzan, but there's almost too casual an air of 'been there, done that, works, so I'll do it again' to his villainous routine in those films. Which isn't to say that he can't bring both the casual and effortless air of a seasoned veteran to his performances - see, Inglorious Basterds for an incredible portrayal of 'Jew Hunter' Hans Landa who goes about his work with the casual air of someone who knows EXACTLY what he's doing, at every twist and turn.

To 'act confidently' - I've seen Christoph Waltz performances I don't like, but I've never seen one where he seems anything less than confident in the role. Even when I don't agree with the take on a performance, for instance his hammy performance as an abusive husband in Big Eyes, the criticism is never on his confidence in the role. He seems assured of what he's doing in the role at any given point. Even in the roles where he seems to be doing for the paycheck, he's completely in control at all times.

To 'act inconsiderately' - well then. Waltz has developed in some circles, a reputation for being an 'ungenerous' actor in some circles these past few years. I've read criticism of his performance as Landa by some who say he's too broad, tries to bring too much attention to his character, too self-absorbed with little flourishes like THAT'S A BINGO. I disagree - his approach in the role is not 'inonsiderate', so to speak, it's perfectly fitting to the showboating character.

And moreover, for every overplayed, overwrought and yes, inconsiderately hammy portrayal like Big Eyes and bored, phoned in workmanlike work in Horrible Bosses and The Green Hornet, he does marvellous things like his terrifically understated, poignant turn as an isolated computer programmer in The Zero Theorem, his complex work as the callous circus owner in Water for Elephants, and of course Dr King Schultz.

I talked about the great villainous work by Leonardo DiCaprio and Samuel L. Jackson in Django Unchained a while ago, so it seems only fitting that I should delve into the great heroic work of Waltz in the same film. Dr King Schultz is one of those characters who's just a terrific guy in every way, there wouldn't be any reason you wouldn't want to associate yourself with him, well that's unless you're staring into the wrong end of his gun barrel. The German dentist-turned-bounty hunter schtick could've worn off very soon if played wrongly, but Quentin Tarantino and Waltz craft one of the former's most memorable characters by making him not only a delightful presence in the film, but also the character who drives it. Jamie Foxx's performance as Django is one I like more than most, but I'd agree that he starts off as a fairly stoic character. Waltz's showboating but incredibly generous performance helps to make Django an interesting character by his chemistry with him, as each long-winded, eloquent and frequently hilarious aside by Waltz is met by a delightful deadpan response from Foxx. Best is probably when Schultz is aiming his pistol at the last remaining Brittle brother and asks Django if he's sure that's him in the distance:

Dr King Schultz is just simple one of the most delightful characters in film history, and Waltz is a big part of this. He stands out wonderfully with his usual showmanship and eloquent antics, but at the same time generates such a great dynamic with all of his co-stars. In particular, his scenes with DiCaprio are absolutely fantastic as one plays the sharpshooter who can kill at will, with a warm and compassionate heart, and the other a man who's probably never killed anyone by his own hand his whole life but is stone-cold and utterly cruel, despicable. It's a performance like this which is why I sincerely hope Waltz finds a bit more variation in his roles in the upcoming years. He'll probably never be able to top Landa, but Schultz shows there's so much more ground he could cover as an actor.