Several candidates emerge –
- The Joker’s Machiavellian introduction in The Dark Knight.
- Raoul Silva’s story about rats, mothers and barrels in Skyfall.
- Keyser Soze with the Devil’s greatest trick in The Usual Suspects.
- Hannibal Lecter’s malicious tale of livers, fava beans and nice Chianti in The Silence of the Lambs.
As remarkable as all of those scenes are, it would be facetious of me to claim that any of them is my favourite; or indeed, the one I consider ‘the best.’
So, I must dip into the Inglourious Basterds pond yet again, for what is hopefully the last time.
My pick is the 15-minute sequence that opens the film. Not only is this scene a masterclass in sustained stress, but it’s also one of the strongest character introductions of all time.
It tells us everything we need to know about Hans Landa – he’s cunning, he’s cruel, he’s charming, and he likes to play games.
From the minute he’s introduced, he emanates a sense of command. Landa is invariably a couple of steps ahead of his prey.
Waltz communicates that to us with his discomforting yet pleasant mannerisms and veiled threats dipped in honey.
Landa has ostensibly come to LaPedite’s quaint home to interrogate him and locate fugitives – fulfil his duties as the ‘Jew-hunter,’ a sobriquet he takes enormous pride in.
But simultaneously, Waltz gives us the impression that he’s also there to ‘play’. Hunting is not merely his job, it is a sport to him, something he enjoys.
He wants his opponent to be clever; he wants the thrill of the chase.
The way Landa subtly establishes complete control over the situation is fascinating to witness.
Whether it be asking for more milk, or requesting if he can smoke his pipe, or touching LaPedite’s daughters with just the right amount of inappropriateness; every breath Landa takes is calculated - The LaPedite house is his chessboard, and all his pieces are queens.
He’s got LaPedite shaking in his boots, yet Landa is never once coarse, domineering or rude.
For all intents and purposes, he comes across as an impossibly polite gentleman.
But with every passing minute, Waltz lets slip the mask, unveiling bit by bit the terrible malice and inhumanity seething just underneath the surface.
As the facade slowly yet deliberately cracks, we see Landa for who he is - the Devil dressed in a Hugo Boss suit.
It’s a breath-taking sequence and one replete with tension, one of the best Quentin Tarantino has constructed.
The sequence ends as Shoshanna survives the initial shooting and makes a run for it. Landa has the sights of his gun set on her, and what transpires next is rather telling.
He could have ended it. But he doesn’t pull the trigger. The chase is what he lusts after. And with Shoshanna running for the hills, the chase is afoot.
“Au revoir, Shoshanna!” yells Landa as a wicked smile adorns his face, assuring her they will meet again.
Because that's who Landa is - he hunts and he knows things.
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