Dietrich (Wolf Kahler)

Character Analysis

Toht does the sinister close-enough-to-whisper stuff. Dietrich (Wolf Kahler), Wehrmacht Colonel and owner of a snappy set of desert khakis, doles out the big stuff.

He runs the German dig in Cairo, and as you might expect from a military man engaged in an act of archaeology, he does so without a lot of regard for the fine details. "You would use a bulldozer to find a china cup," Belloq grumbles to him at one point, which speaks to a man who goes big or goes home.

Like Toht, Dietrich represents a throwback to all those kiddie matinees where the bad guys were really bad and deep personalities need not apply. He's everyone's favorite cliché about the German officer: efficient, ruthless, and fixated on following orders. We chided Belloq in his "Cast" page for following religious ceremonies without sufficient reverence, but he at least understood the purpose of the exercise. Dietrich doesn't see the point in any of it; his orders are to bring the Ark back to Germany and bring it back to Germany he shall. "Only the mission for the Fuhrer matters," he snarls at one point, shortly after referring to the Ark as a "prize."

His discomfort at the Jewish ritual in the finale isn't just caused by Anti-Semitism (though he is really, really anti-Semitic; he's a Nazi for Pete's sake). It's because he feels it's a complete waste of time. Again, maybe not the best guy to go looking for a precious religious artifact, though we're betting he gets all his reports in on time.