Calvin Barr, an old, bitter recluse who was once a legendary assassin for the US government, and whose task to kill Hitler almost changed the course of WWII, is asked to come back from retirement for one final top-secret mission – to track down and eliminate a Bigfoot that became infected with a deadly disease that could spread to others if the creature remains on the loose in the forest for too long.
You would expect with a title like “The Man Who Killed Hitler and Then The Bigfoot” that you would be in for one hell of a fantastic ride. After all, it has to be one of the best movie titles to come along in years but sadly, while the film is most certainly intriguing, its very title is also what lets it down. The story takes place during the 1980s and revolves around Calvin Barr (Sam Elliott), a retired CIA assassin who worked for the U.S. government during World War II. He lives alone with his dog and through a series of intermittent flashbacks, we see his mission during the war where he tracked down and eventually killed Adolf Hitler. You would think for one man, that in and of itself would be something to brag about but nobody outside of the government knows about the assassination. When he is approached by a government official who works for the CIA, played by Ron Livingston, he is informed that the creature known as the “Bigfoot,” which resides in the wilderness in Canada, has been attacking wildlife and as a result, is spreading a deadly virus that could kill the world’s population. Barr initially refuses, stating that he will not kill again but after a conversation with his brother Ed (Larry Miller), and the realization that he would not only be saving his brother and his family but all of mankind too, he reluctantly agrees to the mission. Once there, however, when the plan given to him by government officials doesn’t go accordingly, Barr must now do what he does best, improvise, and try to stop the creature before it’s too late.
The first half of the movie is utterly captivating with Sam Elliott doing some of his best work to date. He constantly remembers his mission during the war and when he is approached by Ron Livingston’s character about the Bigfoot mission, he tells Barr that he is considered a legend within the CIA and flat out asks him if the rumors about him killing Hitler are true. Barr finally tells the truth about how he tracked down Hitler and that in killing him, it had absolutely no effect on the eventual outcome of the war as Hitler employed doppelgangers. Barr’s killing of the most hated man in the world made no difference in the end, and that is why he retired from the CIA. We also see flashbacks of Barr before the war with his one true love, Maxine (Caitlin FitzGerald) who stated that she would wait for him but with so many different missions coming and going, eventually, she realized that a life with Calvin would not be possible and reluctantly moved on without him.
The movie is one man’s reflection on his past and how he wishes he could have changed things. We all look back on our lives, some of it filled with regret and wish we could change the past and if the film had stuck with that theme, it would have made for a more interesting perspective. Even the killing of Hitler is realistic and over the years, when it was reported that Hitler actually employed a doppelganger named Gustav Weler as a political decoy for security reasons, the movie actually becomes a lot more unfantastic. What lets it down though, is the whole Bigfoot aspect. The film was moving along at a nice steady pace, with Sam Elliott giving it his all but as soon as Bigfoot is introduced, the movie begins to nosedive. It felt like a completely unnecessary conclusion to a movie that was plausible and engaging and suddenly is thrust into preposterous and outlandish territory. Sam Elliott has long been a favorite actor of mine and is always reliable in whatever character he portrays and here, he has some wonderfully nuanced scenes, especially when reminiscing about Maxine, and how he should have left the CIA to be with her. Overall, “The Man Who Killed Hitler and Then The Bigfoot” makes for entertaining viewing and is most certainly worth watching if only to see Sam Elliott kick ass, at a sprightly 75 years of age.
Available on Blu-ray & DVD April 2nd
