The Man Who Killed Hitler and then the Bigfoot   Starring: Sam Elliott, Aidan Turner and Caitlin FitzGerald Distributor: Sparky Pictures RRP: £TBC Certificate: TBC Release Date: 15 April 2019

Calvin Barr spends his time keeping a low profile in a small town, partitioning his time between the bar and his brothers barber shop. Barr has a secret. During the war, as part of a special unit, he successfully assassinated Hitler. The op was so secret that no one knows and when the Germans used a double to continue the war, his sacrifice seemed pointless...

The Man Who Killed Hitler and Then the Bigfoot (2018. 1 hr, 33 min, 42 sec) is a drama/alternative history, directed by Robert D. Krzykowski, it represents his first major film as a director.

Although the title perfectly reflects one aspect of the film, I fail to see why the director, who has made an immensely emotional film about loss and sacrifice should give it such a silly title. Please don’t let the title put you off as it’s a deeply moving film and a great performance by Sam Elliott in the central role.

When we first encounter Barr he is isolative, but no less deadly. When he is robbed by a local group of armed youths, even in his advanced years, he can disarm them. His isolation is disturbed when the FBI and Canadian Police approach him. A plague has been unleashed into the world and unless patient zero is eliminated, all of humanity stands to die. The cause of the plague is the titular Bigfoot.

So far, so stupid. What elevates the film above its central premise is the examination of what happened to Barr during the war. Aidan Turner (Poldark, The Hobbit, Being Human) plays the young Barr who falls in love with Maxine (Caitlin FitzGerald), but it is a love laced with tragedy. We slowly learn over the period of the film that Barr has given up everything he held dear, as he believed in the cause he is fighting for. The loss ends up taking its toll and explains his retirement from life.

The film ends up as a great character study of loss and regret. While certainly it includes Hitler and Bigfoot, these end up as side shows and Sam Elliott turns in a masterful performance.

As I received a screener, I cannot say what the finished product will look like.

8

Charles Packer