How far might a fantasist get in Washington DC? This, unfortunately, is no longer a merely theoretical question.
"Georgetown" will inevitably be compared with a much better movie on a similar theme, "Reversal of Fortune." (Did Claus von Bulow try to kill his wife Sunny?)
Did Christoph Waltz (as director) choose to make this movie because it gave him scope for his brilliant portrayal (as actor) of the confidence-trick artiste Ulrich Mott? One problem with "Georgetown" is that we can never be sure whether it is drama or dramatized documentary. It's actually divided into themes and phases, with displayed titles, such as "The Intern," "The Butler," and "The Embed." Is this movie a sociological study? Are we to believe that Georgetown, a suburb of Washington (just upstream from Foggy Bottom), is full of important people who can nonetheless be easily fooled into believing that a flashy talker must also be a very important person - like themselves?
Every so often Mott hits a wall: One professional sends him packing. "I'm encouraging you to find a better place to develop your unique set of talents." Does Mott's "NGO", Eminent Persons Group, have credentials from the US State Department? Some Iraqis figure him out - No. Then the State Department figures him out - No again.
But a remarkable number of people do not see through him. And most remarkably, his wife Elsa Breht (Vanessa Redgrave) is taken for a long, long ride into fantasy land. But finally, in a hotel room (oops!): "I thought you were out shopping." "I thought you were at the United Nations. But there was never a meeting at the UN, was there!"
Promotion comes swiftly in Iraq's armed services. After two years Mott has risen to the rank of Brigadier-General. And he's got the uniform and medals to prove it. We feel sorry for the defense attorney Daniel Volker (Corey Hawkins), who knows less and less, as Mott spins more and more cobwebs.
"As I was saying to Kofi..." That would be Kofi Annan, Secretary-General of the United Nations, wouldn't it? Yeah, right. You've got to admire, and even enjoy, the sheer panache that Christoph Waltz displays in this "make it up as you go along" exercise in opportunism.
"Georgetown" will inevitably be compared with a much better movie on a similar theme, "Reversal of Fortune." (Did Claus von Bulow try to kill his wife Sunny?)
Did Christoph Waltz (as director) choose to make this movie because it gave him scope for his brilliant portrayal (as actor) of the confidence-trick artiste Ulrich Mott? One problem with "Georgetown" is that we can never be sure whether it is drama or dramatized documentary. It's actually divided into themes and phases, with displayed titles, such as "The Intern," "The Butler," and "The Embed." Is this movie a sociological study? Are we to believe that Georgetown, a suburb of Washington (just upstream from Foggy Bottom), is full of important people who can nonetheless be easily fooled into believing that a flashy talker must also be a very important person - like themselves?
Every so often Mott hits a wall: One professional sends him packing. "I'm encouraging you to find a better place to develop your unique set of talents." Does Mott's "NGO", Eminent Persons Group, have credentials from the US State Department? Some Iraqis figure him out - No. Then the State Department figures him out - No again.
But a remarkable number of people do not see through him. And most remarkably, his wife Elsa Breht (Vanessa Redgrave) is taken for a long, long ride into fantasy land. But finally, in a hotel room (oops!): "I thought you were out shopping." "I thought you were at the United Nations. But there was never a meeting at the UN, was there!"
Promotion comes swiftly in Iraq's armed services. After two years Mott has risen to the rank of Brigadier-General. And he's got the uniform and medals to prove it. We feel sorry for the defense attorney Daniel Volker (Corey Hawkins), who knows less and less, as Mott spins more and more cobwebs.
"As I was saying to Kofi..." That would be Kofi Annan, Secretary-General of the United Nations, wouldn't it? Yeah, right. You've got to admire, and even enjoy, the sheer panache that Christoph Waltz displays in this "make it up as you go along" exercise in opportunism.