The Odessa File

An easily followed adaptation of Frederick Forsyth's brilliant novel which gives the viewer a feel of how thrillers used to be made. No blood n guts, no multi-million dollar special effects; just a damned good story wonderfully transformed to a memorable and thoroughly entertaining movie........ And I echo the sentiments of a previous reviewer - come on iTunes, let's see the original Day of the Jackal released...!

I confess I like 60's espionage films, and this was a good addition to the genre. For me, this is the second best film adaptation of a Forsyth book (come on iTunes, where's 'The Day of the Jackal' ?). For anyone under 45, it may be hard to imagine a time like this, where East/West tensions were high, and "The War" was a living memory for many. Jon Voight plays a German reporter in 1963 Berlin, who happens to pick up a file from a dead man's flat. The secrets within lead him onto a dangerous trail to expose a wealthy businessman (Maximilian Schell), as a Nazi concentration camp officer during WWII. The leads give good performances, though BAFTA & the American Academy were never going to be tested. Director Ronald Neame imbues the film with good period feel, and you are really rooting for Voight in the end, as he tries to expose Schell before the secretive Odessa organisation (which protects ex-Nazis) tries to kill him (pull the trigger, son !). The previous reviewer mentions the dated music. Guess who was responsible? A young Andrew Lloyd Webber! Derek Jacobi plays a forger for the Odessa, & don't miss Garfield Morgan (DCI Haskins-The Sweeney) as an Israeli General!

Great conspiracy fact/fiction film, but it's a little dated now as you can tell by the music. Still though, worth watching if you know of the real Odessa.