The Man Who Killed Hitler And Then The Bigfoot review…

Sure, the sensational title hooks the viewers in for the movie but is it all wind and no pitch?

To back up, the feature film from writer and director, Robert D. Krzykowski, the director uses flashback-heavy narrative to tell the tale of (Sam Elliott), hunting for the Bigfoot.

So, Elliott plays Calvin Barr, an American veteran who, in this version of history, assassinated Hitler, an action hidden by both the United States and the Nazis. That service separated Calvin (played as a young man by Aidan Turner) from his sweetheart (Caitlin FitzGerald), leading him to a lifetime of stoic moping and loneliness, save for the company of his brother (Larry Miller) and a loyal dog. 

Calvin has still got it, though — before the title card, he makes short work of thugs who try to steal his car — and good thing, too, because the government needs him to track a Yeti. (Yes, you got it in one, folks, The Bigfoot!)

At first, Hitler/Bigfoot (let’s call it for short) looks like a vehicle for Elliott to kick some righteous ass. Starting with the opening guitar riff from Billy Squier’s “Lonely Is The Night” (which implicitly places the film’s present-tense action sometime in the early ’80s.

A quick flashback shows the younger Barr (Aidan Turner) on a mission to infiltrate Nazi headquarters. Back in the ’80s, old man Barr beats the living shit out of three punks who try to steal his car. That alternating pattern dominates the first half of the movie, with the flashbacks introducing Barr’s sweetheart, Maxine (Caitlin FitzGerald), and present-tense scenes suggesting an irreparable hole in this man’s life.

By the time an FBI agent (Ron Livingston) shows up with a new assignment—kill Bigfoot (there’s only the one, apparently), which has been infected by a lethal virus that threatens to wipe out mankind—virtually every bit of goofy fun has been replaced by gloomy loss.

FINAL THOUGHTS:

The movie, clearly wanting to stay SOME kind of comic book, refuses to get too specific here. Sam and Aiden pull the punches from the script and the fans of these two actors are rewarded. The film is backed by a first-class production team, too. But really, should a movie called The Man Who Killed Hitler And Then The Bigfoot be this dour?

3/5 STARS