Maxwell

My Review - Maxwell Streaming on Prime My Rating. 8/10

Maxwell is a BBC tele movie I hadn't heard of till reading an article about its star David Suchet who plays Robert Maxwell the Czech born British media baron who was in direct competition with Rupert Murdoch .

Based on some factual events that script writer Craig Warner has cleverly embellished for dramatic effect .

Maxwell " portrays the last few months of a driven egomaniacs life and how he manipulated and intimidated his executives and family to bend to his will.

Robert Maxwell's character who in life was a former member of Parliament as well as being a suspected fraudster and spy could easily have been the inspiration for Logan Roy the character that Brian Cox portrays so beautifully in Succession .

The family characters are even similar and some fine performances from Ben Caplan as Maxwell's son Kevin who lives in his fathers shadow plus an all time favourite of mine British actress Patricia Hodge who plays Betty Maxwell the wife who has reached her use by date as far as Maxwell is concerned.

It's a very interesting cast we even get to see Dan Stevens (3 years before Downton Abbey) as Basil Brookes the young account executive who tries to reason with his megalomaniac boss.

David Suchet who plays Robert Maxwell is a superb character actor I always enjoy his performances. I've seen him play roles ranging from his signature role as Hercule Poirot to Lady Bracknell and even cast as a dynamic Vatican Cardinal Benneli on stage in Sydney in The Last Confession.

He excels playing powerful men and Robert Maxwell who was obviously a powerful but repellent British tycoon who turned money laundering into an art form.

This 90 minute movie is so well done and a credit to all involved including Director Colin Barr.

As a fan of David Suchet, I looked forward to seeing Maxwell. And I wasn't disappointed. In fact, I thought it was superb not only because of the strength of the story and script but of the acting. The production values are top notch with great photography, costumes and scenery. The story is compelling, the pacing is well judged and the script is very intelligent. The direction is also very confident and has a good balance of the comedic touch and the dark touch. The acting is very strong, all the supporting performances are very good but it is David Suchet in an exceptional performance as Maxwell who carries the drama. All in all, Maxwell is nothing short of excellent, and I recommend it highly especially if you like Suchet. If you are, you are in for a treat, because this is one of his better non-Poirot performances. 10/10 Bethany Cox

'Maxwell' depicts, in a fictional manner, the last few months of the businessman Robert Maxwell, prior to his mysterious disappearance from his yacht in 1991. It is set almost entirely in Maxwell's offices, revealing his taste for luxury and opulence, and, as a result, would work very well as a play.

The title character, understandably, dominates the film and appears in almost all of the shots. Even when he is offscreen, his presence is there as the other characters are inevitably talking about him. In some instances, he is effectively 'present' as he is listening to them through the bugging devices that he planted in the offices and telephones of his closest associates. This demands an actor of serious presence and convincing gravitas; fortunately, in David Suchet the film has such an actor, able to combine Maxwell's seductive charm (including his low, gravelly voice) with his sharp mind and his dominating, bullying personality. Although the crude, 'macho' Maxwell is a long way from the fastidious, effete Hercule Poirot that Suchet is often associated with, he is still convincing in the role.

The question that arose after Maxwell's death was, 'How was he able to get away with what he did to such a degree and for so long?' and this film skilfully answers that in a realistic and meaningful manner. Whilst his subordinates may or may not have been as innocent of direct involvement in his illegal activities as the film insinuates is another matter, but his intimidating manner and clever manipulation of his assets - like a magician - made it credible that he could conceal his activities so well. The difficulty of standing up to him is revealed - those around him were not portrayed as weak, sycophantic lackeys; the way that he bullied his son in front of his senior colleagues or the 'Daily Mirror' editors was a not-so-subtle hint of how they could expect to be treated were they to defy or disagree with him themselves.

If this was based upon a fictional character the film could be criticised for being somewhat repetitive and lacking in imagination, with some of the 'minor characters' such as his wife and son, his personal secretary and the newly-appointed financial director (who tries to make sense of the deliberately complex 'Maxwell empire') being shown as somewhat one-dimensional individuals. However, the fact that Maxwell was real and his activities are a matter of (recent) historical record makes the film compelling, albeit chilling, to watch.

When Basil Brookes joins his board as financial director, Robert Maxwell owns hundreds of companies, is worth millions and is obsessed with his internal game of one-upmanship with fellow business magnate Rupert Murdock. Brookes finds himself taken in by Maxwell's larger than life character but with share prices dropping and Maxwell's determination that more public exposure for him is the answer, the empire starts to slide. As his advisors push him to offload assets to stabilise his debts, Maxwell pushes to go deeper into the hole to try and get out.

Although it very much a dramatised version of history that offers little sympathy to Maxwell, this film is interesting and engaging as it deals with a powerful and rich man. Like many powerful businessmen, Maxwell's money is not cash sitting in a bank and I did find it engaging to hear him discussing how wealth is about having access to wealth. On one hand he is correct of course but then on the other hand we already know where his attitude towards money. The film goes through the fall of Maxwell with broad brush strokes making up the story but this was never a film for the detail but rather a biopic of a caricature.

This is perhaps too harsh a comment though, because although the character is very much founded in this way, a strong performance by Suchet makes it much more than this and, in doing so, lifts the film as a whole. His Maxwell is suitably inflated and egotistical but he also adds just about enough madness and humanity to make the character interesting. Beyond him the support cast are little more than that – support; with Stevens, Caplan and others all filling in well enough. Director Barr has a very slight mocking tone but controls it to prevent it becoming a p1ss take before it turns darker.

A good television biopic then that goes through the story in good chunks but is mainly driven by a good central turn from Suchet, giving a performance that dominates without spiralling into ham at any point.

I was at Highbury Stadium the night of Maxwells disappearance was announced on tv. I reckon it was suicide. The chickens had come home to roost. Prison would have awaited his return. David Suchet gives a fine performance as Maxwell. Maybe slightly over the top but that was Capn Bob. Bombast and arrogance mixed with a machiavellian nature.