The Man Who Killed Hitler and Then The Bigfoot (2018) Sam Elliott is a National Treasure!- Fitz of Horror Review

Bryan Fitzgerald (Fitz of Horror) February 4, 2019

Synopsis-An American war hero who secretly assassinated Adolf Hitler has now been called upon to take out another global threat – Bigfoot.

As the film opens we see a gentleman alone at a bar with “Lonely is the Night” playing on the jukebox in the background. This man is Calvin Barr (Sam Elliott) who is a grizzled, lonely and conflicted WWII veteran with quite an interesting past. He has kept this past as a deep dark secret for years thus causing him to be in such personal strife. It soon becomes apparent that Barr comes to this establishment nearly every night to listen to music and drink alone while he shares casual and friendly conversation with the bartender (Alton Fitzgerald White) before he cashes out and leaves the bar. When he is mugged outside of the bar by three thugs trying to take his car and money we see that old Calvin is still not someone you want to mess with.

On the surface, Calvin seems to be just a regular old man but through a series of flashbacks (Aiden Turner as young Calvin) throughout the film that have deep meaning as it pertains to Calvin’s life and the important events that shaped him into the man he is. The flashbacks give you a deeper understanding of Calvin’s internal conflicts and make you genuinely care for this character. I also got the feeling that this movie was either telling Sam Elliott’s life story or this was the back story to his character in The Big Lebowski. Joking aside, Elliott is a national treasure and this role will go down as one of his best.

With the nation in fear over brutal Canadian serial killings, there is a looming presence of dread throughout the film but not in the forefront until the midway point of the movie. At this point Calvin is approached by FBI agent (Ron Livingston) and biological warfare/Bigfoot expert (Rizwan Manji), simply referred to in the credits as “Flag Pin” and “Maple Leaf”, who have been following him for quite some time, he finds out that Flag Pin knows more about him and his legend than anyone ever has because his Grandpa would tell him stories of his near-mythical badassery. This causes Calvin to let his guard down a bit before the men ask him to help track and kill Bigfoot, the real reason behind all of the “Canadian serial killings”.

This scene in any other film and possibly with any other actors probably would have come across as humorous but the deadpan conversation and seeming authenticity of the stories being told and how each actor delivered them was nothing short of pure brilliance. Now knowing that the Canadian and U.S. governments are covering up the true nature of these mass killings and the true reason for the rash of deaths is due to a Bigfoot that is the carrier of a “Nightmare Plague” that has the potential to nearly wipe out humanity, Calvin is told that he is immune to the virus and based on his decorated history is the only man that can put an end to this threat to mankind.

After first declining to work for the government again Calvin does some soul searching and realizes a higher sense of purpose and duty, not only to himself but to his fellow humans. The film quickly transitions into the hunt for Bigfoot and we get to catch a quick glimpse of him through the scope on Calvin’s rifle. This leads to an action-packed chase through the woods that pits the two against each other in an epic showdown with an outcome I did not expect.

Not since Bubba Ho-Tep has a film had such an outlandishly wild premise but delivered such a stunning and beautifully told a story with a masterfully executed lead performance and a moving score that seems to lend genuine authenticity to the film. Elliott expresses Calvin’s inner struggle and turmoil so well that I was glued to every second of this film and felt a deep connection to his character. Writer/director Robert D. Krzykowski‘s film has the feel of classics like The Green Mile and Shawshank Redemption whereas there is a profound message behind the magnificent story that is being told and the heartfelt and emotional finale instantly makes this movie “Comfort food” for the movie lovers soul that is easily rewatchable and will no doubt stand the test of time for years to come.

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