Muriel Award: Best Cinematic Breakthrough
Christoph Waltz [80 points/11 votes]
“Among the roles that provide the greatest challenges for overcoming automatic and unbridled hatred, the Nazi officer has to be high on the list, if not at the top. Simply donning the uniform signifies the evil nature of the person wearing it. This prescriptive quality can erase any shading that the actor, director, and screenwriter may try to provide in such a character, yet in the form of Inglourious Basterds’ Col. Hans Landa, actor Christoph Waltz and writer-director Quentin Tarantino beat the odds and create a classic movie villain who transcends the part’s historical association of evil incarnate. Undoubtedly Landa, who relishes his nickname “The Jew Hunter”, is someone to be despised, but he’s the kind of character the audience loves to hate. Rather than playing Landa as sternly efficient, Waltz uses the officer’s supreme confidence and intelligence to luxuriate in the interrogative gameplay, even taking an extra moment to guzzle a glass of milk and wait for fresh cream to adorn his dessert. These indulgent actions are humorous when performed by a monster, and Waltz is never less than strangely likable in carrying them out. Therein resides the Nazi’s effectiveness in disarming his prey. Waltz uses exceeding politeness and formality as the most fearsome of weapons. Landa’s charming devil act and professional courtesy are precisely what make him terrifying and compelling. In a film that hinges upon tension and its potential relief, Waltz’s gracefully frightening performance excels at drawing out the delicious agony.” - Mark Pfeiffer
Runners-up:
Neill Blomkamp [46/8]
Wes Anderson [43/7]
Michael Fassbender [43/7]
Kathryn Bigelow [41/6]
