Some of these films are not like the other ones…

The Man Who Killed Hitler And Then Bigfoot to put it simply is not the movie you’d expect.  Rather it’s a very thoughtful and insightful glimpse at a man’s life as he puts his life in perspective, for better or for worse.

Since WWII, Calvin Barr (Sam Elliott) has lived with the secret that he was responsible for the assassination of Adolf Hitler. Now, decades later, the US government has called on him again for a new top-secret mission. Bigfoot has been living deep in the Canadian wilderness and is carrying a deadly plague that is now threatening to spread to the general population. Relying on the same skills that he honed during the war, Calvin must set out to save the free world yet again.

I’ll be the first to admit that the title for this movie is one HELL of a swerve, but that being said The Man Who Killed Hitler And Then Bigfoot actually lays it’s cards on the table pretty early in the narrative and we get a fascinating character story of a man filled with great for his past but recognizes the weight that it all has on his future.

Writer/Director Robert D. Kryzowski has assembled a genuinely interesting and heartfelt character study wrapped in the cloak of a genre flick and it’s actually really goddamn brilliant.  The film is actively subverting any kind of traditional genre rules and allowing for something very traditional on an emotional level play out in a very weird and over the top kind of way.  It’s shot exceptionally well for a first time helmer and it has an unparalled confidence in its overall flow, which while earnest and messy has an unexpected charm to it because it’s hardly a perfect film but the actual attempt to do something different is so endearing that it actually takes audience a back.

Of course most of this effort lies on the shoulders of one Sam Elliott and he cares it with exceptional ease.  As Calvin Barr we see a man at odds with his past, not just the one of being a total bad ass for his country but also of one that knows the real human and emotional costs he suffered by being away from the one person he truly loved and who made him happy.  You can easily tell that Elliott has a kinship to this character and he plays it all with a real gentle ease which just draws you into Barr’s overall story that much more.  On the other side of it, Aidan Turner does a strong job as young Calvin in various flashbacks while the indomitable Larry Miller plays his brother Ed and even Ron Livingston makes a memorable appearance as a government agent.

All in all, The Man Who Killed Hitler And Then Bigfoot is an incredibly pleasant surprise of a film because while it still kind of delivers on its title, it also gives us an exceptional and fascinating character study of a very complex human being.  It’s proof that you can be emotional complex and have a simple narrative all at the same time.

The Man Who Killed Hitler And Then Bigfoot is playing on select screens in the US and is on VOD all across North America.