There’s something about movies or shows with sociopaths at the lead that makes a show delectable. Is it our obsession with watching the downfall of manic leaders? Whether its Elon Musk, Homelander, Omni-Man or others, there’s something tantalizing about it.
Prime Video is continuing to tap into their enticing storytelling with a modern horror of a company run by an out-of-control sociopath in their new series The Consultant, a thriller about a company run by an out-of-control sociopath.
As seen in the trailer above, Christoph Waltz who horrified yet captivated viewers in The Inglorious Bastards as sociopath Hans Landa is back in another sinister role. This time he’s consultant, Regus Patoff, who slides into game development firm CompWare with perfectly coiffed hair and accent. He tells baffled employees his purpose is to “improve the company,” which is followed by forcefully sharpening pencils, erasing whiteboards, digging out nose hairs, and sniffing people in an attempt to weed out the best of the best.
Hired to trim the fat or in legal jargon “streamline the company” is one thing but him interpreting that as murdering his employees is another. Cue the creepy mask, body bag and van murder.
Nat Wolff, Brittany O’Grady, and Aimee Carrero play employees under the most stressful performance review. Determined to keep their jobs and their lives, they’re more than willing to show company spirit. “If it helps you to see me as a monster, then so be it.”
Based on Bentley Little’s 2016 novel of the same name, Patoff is the oddball consultant who shows up wearing a bow tie and a weird smile. Over time, the pleasantly odd consultant comes to be seen as something far eerier. He gains power, so much so that it feels like he’s ultimately running the company. He installs cameras, surveils employees, and even shows up at their houses. And it gets worse from there — life-threateningly worse.
The series is from MGM Television and Amazon Studios. Its creator, showrunner, and executive producer Tony Basgallop is joined by executive producer and pilot director Matt Shakman. The executive producers include Waltz, Steve Stark, and Andrew Mittman, alongside producer Kai Dolbashian.
The Consultant premiers February 24th on Prime Video.
