The Consultant review: Christopher Waltz shines brighter than all other elements combined

Amazon Prime Video's latest offering, The Consultant, a dark thriller-comedy with undertones of capitalist satire, premiered on the streaming platform on February 24, 2023.

The immaculately made series was another proof that Amazon has cracked the formula for offbeat shows, despite trailing behind its compatriots like Netflix and Hulu in most regards. The series was created by Tony Basgallop, well-known for his Apple TV phenomenon Servant.

Led by Christoph Waltz, who was also the best part of The Consultant, this absurdly dark tale covers everything from the corporate world's dark temptations to a possible sci-fi future. Despite its challenging subject matter and strong acting performances, the show struggles to fully convey its message, attempting to balance too many genres simultaneously, including thriller, horror, satire, and comedy.

While it may not be a flawless production, the series deserves some recognition for its daring themes and skilled performances.

While The Consultant may yet remain just another lazy binge-watch, it does have some questions that may require consideration.

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The Consultant review: Deeply unsettling but mildly hollow.

The Consultant was driven to prove a point from the very start, including anti-capitalism and the rapidly changing corporate structure (and perhaps gun laws?). The series kicked off with a middle school visit to a gaming company named CompWare, but the tone quickly turns dark when a middle school kid shoots and kills the company's CEO.

This creates an unsettling atmosphere that is only aided by the arrival of the mysterious Regus Patoff (Christoph Waltz), a man with a weird name and much weirder mannerisms. The new entry into the office is abrupt and tense, much like the character himself, and it completely changes the dynamic of the "chill" office place.

This is the material for the first few 40-minute episodes, which are arguably the strongest in the eight-episode series. Christoph Waltz's creepy yet immaculate portrayal is nothing short of fantastic. This is bound to leave viewers with a sense of absurd fun, as jokes are thrown in at the most offbeat moments, employees are fired for being disabled, and the workplace environment is turned into a rat race.

This is supplemented by the mysterious nature of this new consultant, who seems to have no past, no social media presence, and no emotions. Sadly, the main secret about this man is quite predictable and, in essence, a little disappointing.

Elaine (Brittany O’Grady) and Craig (Nat Wolff), two employees of Compware, soon get into the business of exploring the man and his origins. This is a drama that becomes the primary plot driver for later episodes of the series. But the final desired results are not at par with the brilliant concept.

Of course, there are some important points spread across the series. But by the end, it seems that The Consultant fails to deliver either with true conviction. This is also true for its genre, it struggles to be a comedy, a thriller, and many other things but fails in each aspect.

In summary, the Amazon Prime series is decent and watchable but falls short of leaving a lasting impression on its audience.

All the episodes of The Consultant are now streaming on Amazon Prime Video.