When we meet Corporal Hitler, the "war to end all wars" is just coming to a conclusion, with the armistice saddling Germany with enormous and widely resented reparations. Believing he has a career in front of him as an artist, Hitler goes to Max to show off his samples. Since Max is fond of abstractionism, and since Hitler is a firm believer in realism, they would seem to have little in common. Max, however, is a big-hearted guy who ignores their differences. When Hitler finally rises to the height of his limited artistic abilities with a series of Nazi-like drawings, Max goes wild over them, calling them "future kitsch."

Hitler, a nervous, self-conscious guy with a burning rage just below the surface, has more interests than art. His company commander, Captain Mayr (Ulrich Thomsen) suggests that Hitler has a future in propaganda, which is surprising since Hitler's early public speaking attempts are truly awful. But when speaking on something he believes about passionately, like the role of Jews in Germany, he finds hidden rhetorical reserves deep within his soul. Early on in the story, Hitler comes out against anti-Semitism. He explains that what he is firmly against is personal anti-Semitism, since that should be a role reserved for the state.

The script is consistently better than the movie itself. "War is vitality," Captain Mayr, lectures his troops on the need for a sequel to World War I. "War is the hygiene of the world." Hitler takes this to heart when he eventually abandons the canvas in favor of the swastika.

"That was a miscalculation of rare magnitude, don't you think?" Max remarks at one point. Don't be surprised if you find yourself thinking those exact thoughts sometime about the movie. But the rare opportunity to have a glimpse of Hitler in his formative years makes the film well worth viewing.

MAX runs 1:46. It is rated R for "language" and would be acceptable for kids around 12 and up.