Analyzing Evil: Hans Landa

opportunity to play with his prey and enjoy every second of the torment to which he subjects his victims. This is where I think the banality of the

evil

trope does not apply to Hans, since in my opinion one would expect someone who is an exact model for this idea to be someone fun and worldly, who simply does his duties because it's his job and It's nothing they particularly like. But with Hans that is not the case. As I said before, he is more of a beast that enjoys playing with his prey.   This is further reinforced in his next scene, where he plays with Von Hammersmark again.

He could have closed that door and immediately begun to strangle her, but instead he chooses to subject her to this ordeal to extract those last vestiges of joy he can from tormenting her before killing her. Now, I personally feel that the part where he kills Bridget is not like Hans.   Why does he murder a woman who helps carry out the plot that he himself is about to make come true? I'm going to skip to the middle of the next scene for a moment just to touch on this.   When Aldo asks Hans about Von Hammersmark, he says that she got what she deserved and that when you buy friends like Bridget Von Hammersmark you get what you pay for.

This makes murdering him more understandable, as it would indicate that he has some respect for the system he has helped prop up for so many years and some loyalty to its cause. Also, that last comment about you getting what you pay for might indicate that maybe it was personal on some level. Maybe he and Von Hammersmark had some sort of falling out in the past. That's just a theory on my part though.   Still, I think it's a little out of character for him. I see Hans as the ultimate opportunist, and as someone who may not have called Shosanna out of fear of reprisals once the Third Reich falls, it is strange that he would have the confidence to not only assassinate an admitted agent of the British, but also and then admitting that fact to Aldo and The Little Man without worrying about the retribution that may follow.   Again, let me know what you think about this in the comments.

Let's go back to the beginning of this scene for another example of why Hans is both an opportunist and a master of language and conversation. Earlier in the film, when he was talking to LaPadite, he mentions that he loves her unofficial title. Here he berates him, as if it were a silly and exaggerated nickname that his enemies have invented to tarnish his good name. He confesses to LaPadite his fondness for his nickname as if he were a deaf man, or more appropriately, a dead man. This is another topic that is debated.   If Hans had LaPadite killed or taken away after killing the Dreyfus.   Personally I think Hans would have kept his word not to harm him or his family, but I could be wrong.

Either way, Hans knows that what he tells this man is of no importance and therefore he feels comfortable revealing such a horrible truth to him. Which, of course, makes it obvious that Hans' speech to the Bastards is nothing more than a lie. A lie that an opportunist can use when he sees an advantage that he can take advantage of. Using his skill in the art of conversation in an attempt to reach a level of understanding with the Bastards, Hans uses polite and polite speech embellished with American phrases to lower their guard, and masterfully manages to reach an agreement with the high command. . of the US army that will sentence him to life imprisonment, erasing any possibility of reprimand by the victors.

His eloquence, coercion, and intrigue have allowed her to change his Nazi personality into a new one that will allow her to live his life in peaceful retirement.  Or so he thinks. In our final scene with Hans, we see that what you keep deep within yourself can't always be taken off as easily as a uniform.   Sometimes what you are marks your soul, and sometimes people feel the need to make sure those scars are visible for all to see. So what do all these things do to Hans? They make him a cunning, eloquent, sadistic and masterful detective who takes pride in who he is and what he does.

A predator whose tools are subtlety and coercion serve to ensnare his victims in his traps without them realizing they have been caught until it is too late. He is a man of many colors, a chameleon who knows how to adapt to every situation he finds himself in, taking advantage of everything and everyone, no matter how small they may be. He is a horror in uniform, a uniform that strikes terror into anyone who sees him, made even more disturbing by a man whose interest lies solely in himself, and whose mere presence spells doom for any enemy who crosses his path.

Thank you all for tuning in to this episode of Analyzing Evil and I hope you enjoyed it. What do you think of Hans? Feel free to let me know in the comments below and leave a suggestion for a villain you'd like to see appear while you're at it. I wanted to thank all my subscribers. At the time I'm recording this video, we just surpassed 46,000 subscribers and I appreciate every one of you. If you would like to continue supporting this channel, I recently started a Patreon, which you can now find a link to on the screen, and I have made a video explaining my reasons for doing so.  You can find a link to that video on the screen now, or you can find both by clicking the links in the description.

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