Action director’s strange war film takes arty turn
“The Captain” is a strange and somber World War II film, written and directed by Robert Schwentke, best known in the United States for more popular attractions, such as the Jodie Foster film “Flightplan” and two films in the “Divergent” series. For “The Captain,” Schwentke returns to his native Germany and films in black and white, and the result is an art film that could make you think he’s been making them all his life.
Though Schwentke’s artistry was evident in previous films, particularly in “Allegiant,” it’s easier to notice it here without the distraction of things blowing up. His camera placement is impeccable. He stages scenes so that the foregrounds and backgrounds are equally arresting, and he composes shots and arranges figures within each shot with a sophisticated, intuitive sense of emotional meaning. “The Captain” isn’t something Schwentke just up and decided to make one day. This has the feeling of having been worked and reworked over the course of years.
It tells the true story of Willi Herold, a private in the German army who was separated from his unit (or he deserted) and was hunted by the Nazi military police. Barely escaping with his life, he happens upon an abandoned car, where inside, of all things, is a German captain’s uniform — fancy hat and everything. He slips into his new captain outfit and immediately gets a spring in his step. He walks, talks and looks like a real-life Nazi butcher, and soon he is acting like one.
Taking place two weeks before the war’s end, “The Captain” is a true history tale with the quality of a fable. In changing clothes, Willi changes his moral nature. Or perhaps he just gets permission to become the thing he has always wanted to be, but lacked the means: a murderer. Gathering men around him with some bogus tale of being the Fuhrer’s personal representative, he makes it his project to kill every deserter or looter in the area.
The nature of the movie’s premise might lead you to expect that it won’t be surprising once we get the idea that Willi has become a monster, that we won’t need to see the rest. In fact, “The Captain” is full of suspense and interest throughout. For one thing, there’s something in Max Hubacher’s performance as Willi that makes him almost sympathetic. He is very young. He’s a little guy, and at any moment, his ruse may be revealed. He is constantly having to think on his feet, to bluster, to say just enough to intimidate people out of asking to see his marching orders.
Also, as presented here, Willi seems a little off his rocker, and thus vulnerable. Who knows if this is accurate? The real Willi Herold might have just been another coldblooded psycho, but Schwentke and Hubacher take the character in a more interesting direction, turning him into a frightening portrait of damaged youth, a young man whose desire for comradeship and meaning were permanently twisted by the Nazi distortion machine. The close-ups of Hubacher’s face in unguarded moments, as when he’s singing songs in a tavern, are so open and innocent as to confound the mind.
Schwentke keeps the focus on Willi’s internal workings. To that end, he doesn’t distract us with graphic violence. This is the story of a mass murderer, but Schwentke finds artful ways to depict the violence without showing it. That’s why, in remembering “The Captain,” you might remember seeing things you saw only in your imagination.
Taking place two weeks before the war’s end, “The Captain” is a true history tale with the quality of a fable.