1987. Calvin Barr is an old man living his last days in his quiet hometown with his dog. His daily routine involves such highlights as visiting his brother's barber-shop and stopping in at the local bar for a quiet drink.
But Barr's life wasn't always so quiet, nor so routine. In World War 2 he was a special services operative who was sent into the heart of the Third Reich: his mission, to assassinate Adolf Hitler himself.
Despite what the history books say, Barr succeeded in that mission, and even if he is a bit older and slower now, he's nearly as deadly and resourceful as he ever was. Which is why the government selects him for a mission even more clandestine and secret than the one he completed in World War 2. They need him to hunt down and kill Bigfoot itself!
So yes, this film's title is literal, not figurative. The main character really does kill Hitler and Bigfoot ... but the movie is not the gonzo comedy-action you might expect of that conceit. Which is not to say it entirely lacks in gonzo elements. It does have wackiness like ... well like bigfoot and killing Hitler ... and also nonsense like wristwatches where the hands are replaced with a swastika. I'm not sure how you would you even tell the time with that! But overall the film's tone is much more serious: this is a movie where the primary atmosphere is one of melancholy; of quiet but deeply felt grief; than of chutzpah and over-the-top action.
It's a surprisingly thoughtful film. And despite the goofy conceits that give its name, it's a film that's at its strongest in its more serious moments. Its meditations on the personal cost of war and violence are perhaps not especially novel or surprising, but they feel authentic.
Sam Elliott's performance in the central role is key to this, I think. Few people can so thoroughly embody weary tenacity as he can, and Elliott's certainly good at conveying the quieter, melancholic air that this role requires. He's perhaps not quite so convincing in the more action-oriented scenes, but he does a pretty good job for a man well into his 70s.
If I were to make any complaint about the film, it would be the flashback-heavy structure of the script. Flashbacks can be effective when used sparingly and well, but they can also be a cheap crutch to try and manufacture tension or excitement that the film has not really earned. I'm not sure why so many were used here; the outcome of Calvin's World War 2 mission is right there in the movie's title, so it's not like we can't see what's going on. Are we not supposed to realise that the supposed German officer is actually the young Calvin?
Overall though, this is a pretty small issue. While The Man Who Killed Hitler and then Bigfoot was not the movie I expected it to be, it was an interesting watch and I am glad I saw it.
Despite what the history books say, Barr succeeded in that mission, and even if he is a bit older and slower now, he's nearly as deadly and resourceful as he ever was. Which is why the government selects him for a mission even more clandestine and secret than the one he completed in World War 2. They need him to hunt down and kill Bigfoot itself!
So yes, this film's title is literal, not figurative. The main character really does kill Hitler and Bigfoot ... but the movie is not the gonzo comedy-action you might expect of that conceit. Which is not to say it entirely lacks in gonzo elements. It does have wackiness like ... well like bigfoot and killing Hitler ... and also nonsense like wristwatches where the hands are replaced with a swastika. I'm not sure how you would you even tell the time with that! But overall the film's tone is much more serious: this is a movie where the primary atmosphere is one of melancholy; of quiet but deeply felt grief; than of chutzpah and over-the-top action.
Because while you definitely would not guess it from the title, this is a thoughtful, melancholic review of the competing impulses of duty and happiness, and the harm that the former can wreak on the latter.
It's a surprisingly thoughtful film. And despite the goofy conceits that give its name, it's a film that's at its strongest in its more serious moments. Its meditations on the personal cost of war and violence are perhaps not especially novel or surprising, but they feel authentic.
Sam Elliott's performance in the central role is key to this, I think. Few people can so thoroughly embody weary tenacity as he can, and Elliott's certainly good at conveying the quieter, melancholic air that this role requires. He's perhaps not quite so convincing in the more action-oriented scenes, but he does a pretty good job for a man well into his 70s.
If I were to make any complaint about the film, it would be the flashback-heavy structure of the script. Flashbacks can be effective when used sparingly and well, but they can also be a cheap crutch to try and manufacture tension or excitement that the film has not really earned. I'm not sure why so many were used here; the outcome of Calvin's World War 2 mission is right there in the movie's title, so it's not like we can't see what's going on. Are we not supposed to realise that the supposed German officer is actually the young Calvin?
Overall though, this is a pretty small issue. While The Man Who Killed Hitler and then Bigfoot was not the movie I expected it to be, it was an interesting watch and I am glad I saw it.
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