Calvin Barr (Sam Elliott), is an old man living his last days in his quiet hometown with his dog who is haunted by his memories of World War II where he undertook a mission to assassinate Adolf Hitler. He was successful in his mission, however the operation was classified and never revealed to the public. One day two men approach him identifying themselves as joint American and Canadian government agents. They explain that all life on Earth may be coming to an end as a strange virus has been killing people and animals around the world and the original source of the virus is Bigfoot itself. Knowing Barr is a highly trained tracker and survivalist, and one of the few people on Earth immune to the virus, the agents try to recruit him to go into the wilderness and kill the Bigfoot in hopes it will end the epidemic.
The premise may sound like a crazy B-movie but do not be fooled, this is a story of loss, struggle and regret while also touching on the idea of duty and what it means to truly have a gift that is both a gift and a curse. It's less about the assassination of Hitler or the hunting of the Bigfoot but what those actions leave in its wake.
The key to this film working so well lays solely with Sam Elliott. He plays the character of Calvin straight with no hint of how absurd his characters life experience is. Had he shifted a hair left or right then this becomes something tonally different, it would go from dramatic to tongue-in-cheek instantly. Thankfully Elliott committed to the latter and gave, what one could argue, is the best performance of his career.
But don't let the true focus of the movie cause you to tapout prematurely because even after the deep character study we are treated to the coolest scene ever filmed. Sam Elliott fighting Bigfoot in a no-holds-barred fight to the death.
The Man Who Killed Hitler and Then The Bigfoot has so much packed into it that anyone can walk away feeling more than entertained. Regardless of genre preference this is one film you don't want to skip on.
Rating: 8.5/10 Stars
Rich Stile @TheDevilsEyes1