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17 out of 19 people found the following comment useful :-
" One nation, one people, one leader!", 16 January 2007

Author: Graham Watson from Gibraltar

*** This comment may contain spoilers ***

You could do a lot of worse things than spend two hours indulging in the ODESSA file. This 1974 production was the second of Frederick Forsyth's trilogy of books that were put onto the big screen in the 70's. Although made in1974 the events meant to be are depicted are supposed to be about 10 years earlier. ODESSA was an organization created by Nazis to help former high profile Germans and members of the SS escape accountability after Germany's defeat in WW II. You would be given false papers, new identities, passports etc and many of them made their way to South America . The most popular destination was Argentina, whose Peronist regime made no secret of it's admiration for Hitler and the Nazi way of thinking. (This only made Argentina's defeat at the hands of the British in the 1982 Falklands war that much more satisfying)! It's a docu/thriller movie lead by actor John Voight who had been elevated to stardom by "Midnight Cowboy" and "Deliverance". He plays Peter Miller a struggling Journalist who was looking to land the big story and is financially supported by his girlfriend Sigi who works at one of Hamburg's nightspots.

After a routine check on a story of a suicide he is given a diary and documents from the deceased who as it turns out was survivor of a Nazi concentration camp. He takes his own life after seeing one of his former tormentors Eduard Roschmann a former camp commandant swanking it up in and exclusive restaurant in Hamburg without a care in the world. What drives him over the top is when he reports this he finds little sympathy from the West German authorities who seem either indifferent and try to fob him off.

After reading an horrific and graphic account of the mans experience at the hands Roschmann, a sickened Muller embarks on his own investigation. He soon discovers the real motives for the ODESSA organization and delves further into this only to the disdain of friends and loved ones who fear for his safety. Soon he also gains the attention of members of the ODESSA organization who don't approve of his meddling. He manages to sneak into a reunion for former soldiers from a crack Panzer division, but unfortunately draws attention to himself. The beating that is handed out as well as an attempt on his life only emboldens him to carry on now knowing he is on to something? He also arouses the attention from members of MOSAD Israels equivalent of the CIA, whose job is to track down former Nazis and dispose of them. After satisfying the Israels that he is not a Nazi, they help him try to infiltrate ODESSA under an alias so he can track down Roschman who by this time he has is own personal score to settle. While reading the former survivors account it appears Roschman may have had something to do with his fathers death who at the time was a decorated soldier in the German army during WWII.

So it's off to the races, can Muller get to Roschmann and find out who else is in ODESSA's secret file before they get to him! You get the impression that this was inspired by the capture of Eichmann and the wish to track down Joseph Mengelie a notorious Nazi physician. It's important that in the 1960's and even 70's many former Germans from WWII were still alive at this time and many of them not only escaped justice but managed to wrangle cushy numbers in business, industry and even in government under new identities. How widespread this really was I'm not sure, I suppose many lower level Nazi party members did manage to start up their careers again although those who committed the real acts were probably better off trying to get out of the country, where I suppose ODESSA came in, a sort of "club south America" for Germans wanting to get away from it all.

The scene in the beer hall during the reunion is a real party piece. Still reveling in nostalgia about the glory days where Germany was feared and respected as they swept all before them, the frenzied gathering is finishes off by singing a rousing rendition of one of the German army's marching songs. In another scene when Muller visits Simon Weisentile (a well known Nazi hunter who made it his life's work to bring them to justice), he tells Muller that money was not a problem for ODESSA. Under the streets of Zurich were paved with gold, presumably gold and other stuff that was looted by the Germans from their Jewish victims, how ironic! Over all not bad movie , Voight was convincing as a German being blond and blue eyed and Maximilian Schell delivers a powerful performance as the arrogant and sadistic butcher Roschmann. It's certainly worth a watch!

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23 out of 34 people found the following comment useful :-
Great, 23 July 2004
Author: jlon from Dublin

Jon Voight is one of Hollywood's best actors. DVD review.

A journalist hunts down a Nazi war criminal but his motives are unclear.

I didn't expect this movie to be so good. It's extremely watchable. If you want to see where Spielberg got his Schindler's List influences then this is the movie to watch. Strange that the concentration camp scenes are all in German but the present (1964) scenes (also set in Germany) are in English. Many good tense scenes: the fight in the mill, the kidnapping, the interview and the confrontation with Schell. One of those movies with a different location for each new scene.

Watch this Nazi hunter movie. It's superb.

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14 out of 18 people found the following comment useful :-
Excellent climax to the film., 22 January 1999

Author: Stephen Stratford (stephen@sp-stratford.demon.co.uk)

Although it deviates from the excellent book's plot, The Odessa File is, in my opinion, Jon Voight's best performance. A good script is handled very well by the actors. Like all Frederick Forsyth's books, the film conveys the possibility that all the events in the film were completely accurate to real events. The ending of the film, when we find out the reason for Jon Voight's character tracking down the former Nazi, is a superb moment of suspense.

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16 out of 24 people found the following comment useful :-
effective thriller, 15 September 2001

Author: Ron (secretron@aol.com) from Brooklyn, NY

Just a sad reminder of how gripping thrillers were a dime-a-dozen in the 70's, as compared to the suspense-bankrupt modern day. 2 hours of entertainment & not one single explosion!! Jon Voigt once again establishes himself as one of the best actors of the decade in his principal role as the tenacious journalist bent on revenge. The film & its subject matter could have easily been more confusing, and tho some scenes defy logic (a supposedly lethal hit man is reduced to dunderhead status in the film's pivotal fight scene), the story steams ahead fluidly til the climactic denoument. This is Voigt's movie, but the supporting cast is effective in small roles, especially Maximillian Schell in his few scenes & Mary Tamm, as Voigt's along-for-the-ride girlfriend who also happens to be very easy on the eyes. And look, there's Derek Jacobi, long before he met Kenneth Branagh, in a tiny, yet pivotal role! Forge, Derek, forge!! Not as good as "The Conversation" but infinitely better than any movie starring Sharon Stone or Steven Seagal (or both). 7 out of 10.

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17 out of 26 people found the following comment useful :-
engrossing, suspenseful drama, 25 July 2005

Author: blanche-2 from United States

Jon Voight does an excellent job in this intriguing film about a reporter searching for a war criminal who escaped Germany after World War II with the help of an organization called Odessa. His investigation leads him to Simon Wiesenthal and to a group of Israelis who train him to infiltrate Odessa. The historical setting is 1963 Germany, at the time of the Kennedy assassination This is a very suspenseful film with wonderful performances from the supporting cast as well: Mary Tamm, Maximillian Schell, Maria Schell, and Derek Jacoby.

For me, The Odessa File has always had an old-fashioned feeling to it -it was made in 1974, set in 1963, and almost seems like it could have been made in the '40s. Truly an excellent film.

As a bit of trivia no doubt already mentioned, Andrew Lloyd Webber wrote the music for the film, which I frankly found rather intrusive.

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7 out of 8 people found the following comment useful :-
Marred only by one thing, 11 August 2007

Author: pamsfriend from New Jersey

Sometime between 1979 and today, filmmakers have lost the ability to tell a suspenseful story, to flesh out characters, so that today we see more style than substance, more gore and mayhem than plot development.

The Day of the Jackal, Marathon Man, Eye of the Needle, The Boys From Brazil and others will be labeled boring by many here because they must wait for something to happen. A typical example from Odessa is the reunion scene. Voight infiltrates the meeting of old German soldiers, make that old devoted Nazis, gathering in a beer hall. He snaps a photo of the speaker, shouting what sounds like the words of the pre-war Deutschland uber Alles. One man comes and begins his eviction from the hall. In the next scene we see him nursing his wounds, which are far more serious than the pushes we see. Tell me that today we would not witness a brutal beating punch by punch, kick by kick.

Films then used violence to advance the plot, such as the "Is it safe?" interrogation in Marathon Man. Seventies films are no shorter than today's masterpieces, but so much more intricate plot is compressed into their time frame.

Three Days of the Jackal is a perfect telling of a Forsyth book; we never become involved with the characters but watch in fascination. Here we follow Miller (Voight) giving us a horse in the race. I have reservations about the final confrontation with Schell and Miller's motivations but I have none about the story in general.

Only in the score does Odessa fall short; the music sounds almost if it was added as an afterthought and does nothing to enhance moods or foreshadow scenes. Worse, the score seems the beginning of a pattern that continues to this day where in some scenes the music is the main character. Only the bier-hall singing of the old Nazis sounds appropriate.

I rated the film 8 of 10.

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8 out of 10 people found the following comment useful :-
Great film UNTIL the climax, 14 May 1999
Author: emily (emily85647@aol.com) from New Jersey

I love this film. Jon Voight's German accent is excellent, as is his acting. The film is great, but falters at the ending, which could have been developed more carefully. The big secret is interesting, though.

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17 out of 29 people found the following comment useful :-
Very Interesting, 28 July 2004

Author: Eumenides-0 from Portugal

*** This comment may contain spoilers ***

WARNING: SPOILERS AHEAD

The Odessa File is definitely a very interesting piece of '70's filmmaking. Returning to the days the Nazis were Hollywood's favourite villains, this movie updates the concept of the Nazi threat by exploring what happened after the Reich's fall, setting former SS officers who've escaped justice by collaborating with a secret organisation called Odessa, which has its influence in several aspects of life - judges, police, social services, hospitals. It's a creepy network that operates with societies' resources unknown to the average citizen.

And it's fantastically brought to life in this movie. Jon Voight plays Peter Miller, a righteous, apparently altruistic journalist who wants to uncover the truth behind the Odessa, after he's put in contact with a dead jew's diary detailing his life in Riga, a concentration camp. Finding out what killed him was discovering a former SS officer, Roschmann, living in freedom in Hamburg, Peter begins an investigation that almost kills him, especially when he infiltrates the organisation under a fake identity. At this point the movie becomes very suspenseful...

This thriller isn't a typical mystery; there is no 'whodunnit' to solve, no villain who reveals himself in a dramatic moment; all cards are on the table from scene one, and the fun is watching the Odessa react to Peter's getting closer, and his reaction as they try to undermine him. This is the sort of thriller I love watching, like a cat-and-mouse game between the two parties.

The climax could be better, unfortunately a semi-twist somewhat ruins it, as we discover Peter's motivations are in fact personal rather than purely altruistic. I don't know, I guess I prefer my heroes when they do good for goodness' sake, not because of some hidden agenda. Well, characters like Atticus Finch are rare nowadays, I guess. On the whole, The Odessa File is a strong thriller with interesting ideas, good performances and characterisation. Mot many modern thrillers can live up to its quality.

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6 out of 8 people found the following comment useful :-
Underestimated masterpiece, 3 June 2005

Author: sgold-2 from United States

Movie-making at its best. A wonderful performance from John Voight (who remembers Joe Buck?) as a journalist "son" of Germany who receives a report written by a survivor of a concentration camp that committed suicide fueled by the horror of discovering a secret society conformed by high ranking former Nazi officials. "Voight's" struggle to investigate and uncover such an evil organization (Odessa) is the theme of this film that will keep you at the edge of your seats! The versatility and talent of Mr. Voight as a 1st line actor is evidenced here. After enjoying this film you will wonder where has all good movie making gone. Buy it or rent it....you will not regret it :)

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4 out of 5 people found the following comment useful :-
Nasty Nazis are just beneath the surface, 28 September 2005

Author: headmaster-1 from United Kingdom

A great story, which combines twisted plots, chase scenes and the deadly combination of history and the present. One is utterly compelled to wonder exactly how fictional this story is, and also how such an organisation could operate beneath the veneer of respectability. There is no doubt that the motives of all the chief characters are distinct, and the plot forces one to watch as Muller tries to break into the seemingly impenetrable organisation. His journey to find the answers he is looking for, and all due to stopping on the side of the road for a couple of minutes to listen to the radio makes one also wonder what else is out there that should be revealed, but due to cover ups and apathy hasn't been!

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