The Man Who Killed Hitler And Then The Bigfoot review: Come for the ridiculous title, stay for the ever-excellent Elliott.
The Man Who Killed Hitler and Then The Bigfoot review by Andrew Gaudion.
The Man Who Killed Hitler and Then The Bigfoot review.
When one sees a title such as The Man Who Killed Hitler and Then The Bigfoot, your head instantly imagines a genre picture of the most ridiculous order. You probably think of a B-Picture of the schlocky kind from the 1950’s, or maybe even a throwback to some of the 70’s exploitation flicks that Tarantino often tips his hat to in his work.
The film that has been delivered from debut filmmaker Krzykowski has shades of both those approaches, but all-in-all it is a very different beast than what you are probably expecting. Sure, there’s an unmistakable element of schlock, but the film itself attempts to combine its Gonzo elements into a film which is also a meditation on the passing of time, of the weight of legacy and the regrets of an old man. It’s surprising in a way you’re not expecting, but whether it is all that successful at balancing those elements is up for debate.
Sam Elliott stars as Calvin Barr, a man who lives in a small sleepy town with his dog, reflecting on the life he has led. Traumatised by his experiences in World War Two, Calvin comes to reflect on whether or not his legacy actually means anything, as, during the War, Calvin assassinated Hitler, a secret that has been buried by the Government, a secret which went on to have a damaging effect all the meaningful relationships in his life. Calvin is soon offered the chance to add to his legacy, when the Government reaches out to him to take on a new mission: kill the Bigfoot.
The Man Who Killed Hitler and Then The Bigfoot review
Hopefully, I’ve done enough in that plot description to demonstrate how The Man Who Killed Hitler and Then The Bigfoot is striving to operate. On on the one hand, it has the B-movie qualities of something like Inglourious Bastards, when on the other hand it is also striving to have the same kind of reflection on legacy that you would find in the likes of Shane and Unforgiven.
Sam Elliott is an incredibly fine actor, able to bring gravitas to anything as mundane as reading the ingredients off a ketchup bottle, and he is the ideal lead for a film such as this. He is able to carry off the more ridiculous elements of the film with a straight-faced sincerity and is also more than capable of portraying a man wracked with the guilt of decisions he’s made throughout his life, feeling the weight of a legacy that he can’t even talk about.
Unfortunately, the film itself often fails to truly utilise Elliott’s affecting performance. Throughout the film, we flashback to Calvin’s time during the War where he is played by Aiden Turner. Turner portrays Calvin as a man with more neurosis than perhaps his legend would suggest and does perfectly fine in a role which is requiring him to match up to the likes of Elliot, it is just that the film is not all that engaging in these moments that fill in the gaps of Calvin’s past. The flashbacks often feel arbitrary, with their placement often disrupting the momentum of the film rather than layering it with more meaning as appears to be Krzykowski’s intention.
The Man Who Killed Hitler and Then The Bigfoot review
More information doesn’t always necessarily lead to a deeper understanding, a mistake which the film often makes. The script is laden with lines that give away much of the intention of the characters or the film itself in a fashion which is a little too on the nose (‘this isn’t going to be the comic-book you were expecting’). These moments often undermine Elliott’s great performance, as his gestures and facial expressions often convey more meaning and depth to the tale of a man grappling with his old age than the script could ever hope to achieve.
The idea at the core of The Man Who Killed Hitler and Then The Bigfoot is certainly inspired. Rope your audience in with a title that automatically carries with it a certain degree of expectation, only to pull the rug from under their feet to deliver a film that balances the schlock with something more thoughtful and meditative. The script just isn’t quite there to allow that idea to truly fly. It seems too concerned about supplying information than allowing the characters to breathe and for the performances to do more heavy lifting.
The film often looks great, often lit to emphasises bright and bold colours, Joe Kraemer’s score is fantastic and there is something to admire in its commitment to making such a strange genre-shake. It is frustrating as the film so often brushes with greatness but never quite gets there, often struggling to identify where it should hold back and where it should let go. Come for the ridiculous title, stay for the ever-excellent Elliott.
The Man Who Killed Hitler and Then The Bigfoot review by Andrew Gaudion, August 2018.
The Man Who Killed Hitler and Then The Bigfoot screened at Arrow Video Frightfest.
