The Odessa File (1974)

Boring

Absolutely the worst movie.

It was OK. I don't see why everyone loves it so much. It wasn't very smart or deep or well-directed.

It is an exhilarating, distressing, funny and profound film, with one of the more memorable film scores in years,

The central problem with having a protagonist going lone against the enemy is that tension dwindles. ODESSA, "Organisation of Former Members of the SS" is an interesting idea for conflict for post-war Germany. It's a very capable film with all the ingredients of schoolboy chase and intrigue and some good dramatic sequences, and interesting locations. Filmed almost entirely in post-war Germany helped to create the right atmosphere. Jon Voigt is our lead and he convinces as the methodical German reporter infiltrating the nefarious network. Maximilian Schell is excellent as a former mass murderer.

If getting away with Murder is intolerable, then getting away with Mass Murder is more than intolerable. So the fact that many Nazi War Criminals escaped at Wars end unblemished and prospering is the stuff that can enrage anyone.So from the beginning in this taut and incredibly tense Thriller we are behind the Protagonist and His attempt at finding and dealing with this Scum. Jon Voight gives a powerful, restrained Performance and is helped by some rather cold, but beautiful Cinematography.In fact, the Movie is so well shot that it doesn't look like a lot of cheesy and unattractive Seventies Films. There are remarkable Scenes, like the one in the Beer Hall that are so well Produced for such a short running time that one wonders why they bothered, but glad they did. It gives an authenticity to the proceedings and it is this sort of visual detail that makes this an above average affair.This is not an elaborate but chilling way to realize the subject matter and the Movie is never boring or disengaging. It has a deliberate and relentless take on a complicated situation. It never fails to intrigue and has a controlled environment of a determined Journalist way above His head, but tenacious in resolve. This is an enduring, factual Story that even Today never ceases to be involving.

Certainly not as spellbinding as it's horrifying plot promises, but this is nonetheless an exciting, well made thriller. German journalist Jon Voight uncovers a plot to utilize Nazi ingenuity(?) to aid Egypt in its plan to annihilate Isreal in the early 1960s. Hooking up with Isreali intelligence, he hunts all over Germany and Austria for lunatic ex-Concentration Camp Commandant Maximilian Schell. Directed with more finesse than usual by Ronald Neame (a great film editor who became a decidedly journeyman director) and featuring some stellar cinematography by Oswald Morris. Voight is pretty good and Schell is decidedly nasty. Shmuel Rodensky has a cameo as Nazi hunter Simon Wiesenthal. While the film is set in and around Germany, all the players speak English with a German accent. The music by none other than Andrew Lloyd Webber includes the song "Christmas Dream" sung by Perry Como. Maria Schell plays Voight's mother and Mary Tamm, Derek Jacobi & Günter Meisner are in it too.

It is interesting that the movie opens with the assassination of President John F. Kennedy on Nov. 22, 1963 in Dallas, a date and name that may mean nothing to young people today, or to non-Americans.Spoiler alert:The Odessa File is about a vast Nazi conspiracy, about Nazis who have infiltrated every level of government, police and business in post-war Germany. Some believe there was also a high-level conspiracy behind the killing of JFK. Is the movie suggesting a parallel?This is a great movie that holds up well to repeat viewings over the years. History can gain greater meaning as we age, if we take the time to study it. With greater familiarity of World War 2, this movie takes on added strength. The extraordinary ending still has power. The Odessa File has a slower pace than most thrillers, but this allows for creating a sense of atmosphere and gives the movie life and realism. Perhaps this is one reason it holds up well in repeat viewings.This pace and naturalistic direction is also found in director Ronald Neamse's Hopscotch (1980). While Hopscotch is a comic thriller, and Odessa has utterly serious, there are some curious connections, making Hopscotch a good follow up movie. The commentary to Hopscotch is especially interesting. Walter Matthau actually wanted to turn down the role, but instead said he would do it only if Ronald Neame were to direct. He didn't actually know Neame, had no particular reason to pick him, and assumed this condition would never be met, so he figured he was off the hook. But the studio offered the picture to Neame and he accepted, so Matthau was stuck. This was a problem because they planned to film in Germany, and Matthau refused to set foot in the country because the Nazis had killed many of his relatives. A deal was set to hire his son as an actor if he would film the scenes in Germany, so it was back on. I mention this because after watching Odessa, it is clear Neame was a good fit with Matthau because of the anti-Nazi credentials of this movie. And he was an absolutely perfect fit for Hopscotch because of his relaxed, atmospheric style. I guess it was one of those Hollywood serendipities. Other movies of Neame's I recommend are Gambit, with Michael Caine and Shirley MacLaine, and the truly unusual The Horse's Mouth, starring Alec Guinness.Some are critical of the Andrew Lloyd Weber music for The Odessa File; it is certainly an odd decision to begin such a serious movie with a faux Christmas Carol and use it as a theme. But there is very little background music in the movie, and it doesn't need it. The movie gets serious quickly enough, so why wear the viewer down from the start? And the melody has an appropriately German lilt, a sort of beer hall polka carol, that is reasonably pleasant. I wouldn't mind hearing in played in the shopping malls in season, but it never caught on. Is Odessa a 10? I figure if a movie is in my list of top 100 or 200 movies, out of the thousands I have seen, and it holds up to repeat viewings over the years, then surely it must be a 10, regardless of any nitpicking about music or whatnot.Odessa has a rich, complex, tight plot, some taut suspense, powerful subject matter presented realistically and credibly, and a dynamite ending that not only surprises and ties all of the movie together, but also provides an emotional catharsis that leaves you sitting in your chair in stunned silence after the movie ends. What more could you ask for? So 10 it is. Is this Neame's best work? Neame worked in many different genres, so it is hard to compare. Hopscotch is by far my favorite, but I suppose in terms of directorial technique, Odessa may be his best, that I have seen. And I dare say people will still be watching The Odessa File in the year 2111, 2211, 2311, and probably for as long as there are movies, because of its powerful historical message.