Yes, h the Master of Lake-town was something of a tool in the book as well. Tolkien wrote him to be a bit more shrewd than he is in the movie (if no more wise), but I think that has more to do with how Peter Jackson reinterpreted the character than with Stephen Fry's performance. I do wish that the Master had survived Smaug's attack in the films; I think that he--in the book--made a better foil for Bard than did Alfrid.
Yes, h the Master of Lake-town was something of a tool in the book as well. Tolkien wrote him to be a bit more shrewd than he is in the movie (if no more wise), but I think that has more to do with how Peter Jackson reinterpreted the character than with Stephen Fry's performance. I do wish that the Master had survived Smaug's attack in the films; I think that he--in the book--made a better foil for Bard than did Alfrid.