Ever since Christoph Waltz played the charming, ruthless Nazi officer Hans Landa in Quentin Tarantino’s Inglourious Basterds, he has been Hollywood’s go-to man to portray villains designed to creep the hell out of you. The fact that Waltz is also frequently funny is just an added bonus. His latest star turn sees him as Regis Patoff, the titular role in the Amazon Prime Video horror-comedy series The Consultant (based on American novelist Bentley Little’s book of the same name).
Patoff is the smarmier-than-thou consultant who takes over a mobile gaming company called CompWare in the wake of its CEO’s grisly death-via-gunshot. Soon, Patoff — who may or may not be a literal demon from hell — insinuates himself into the personal lives of his new employees, manipulating them expertly. He also displays a vicious, bullying streak.
“To the wonderful faces I see below,” Patoff says during his initial interaction with CompWare employees, “Thank you for being an important part in CompWare’s success. I’m looking forward to getting to know you all personally. You are valued. And for those who work remotely, you have exactly one hour to get here in person or your contracts of employment will be terminated.”Shift in public opinion
