Die Akte Odessa

Although it deviates from the excellent book's plot, The Odessa File is, in my opinion, Jon Voight's best performance. A good script is handled very well by the actors. Like all Frederick Forsyth's books, the film conveys the possibility that all the events in the film were completely accurate to real events. The ending of the film, when we find out the reason for Jon Voight's character tracking down the former Nazi, is a superb moment of suspense.

This thriller should go down as a classic. It has a convincing story a rare thing in movies that try to blend historical fact and fiction. It's tense from beginning to end and doesn't have annoying red herrings or plot twists.

The casting is perfect. Maximillian Schell is ideal as the Nazi war criminal. Jon Voight is surprisingly convincing as a German accent and all. Good use of European supporting cast to avoid a fake feel.

Good on location feel to it. Liked the evocative score too.

It's one of the best thrillers about WWII subject matter even though it is set after the war.

Jon Voight does an excellent job in this intriguing film about a reporter searching for a war criminal who escaped Germany after World War II with the help of an organization called Odessa. His investigation leads him to Simon Wiesenthal and to a group of Israelis who train him to infiltrate Odessa. The historical setting is 1963 Germany, at the time of the Kennedy assassination This is a very suspenseful film with wonderful performances from the supporting cast as well: Mary Tamm, Maximillian Schell, Maria Schell, and Derek Jacoby.

For me, The Odessa File has always had an old-fashioned feeling to it -it was made in 1974, set in 1963, and almost seems like it could have been made in the '40s. Truly an excellent film.

As a bit of trivia no doubt already mentioned, Andrew Lloyd Webber wrote the music for the film, which I frankly found rather intrusive.

After the suicide of an elderly Jewish man, journalist Peter Miller (Jon Voight) discovers the mans journal detailing his account of witnessing former SS captain Eduard Roschmann (Maximilian Schell) at an opera three weeks prior to his suicide. Roschmann was the commandant of Riga concentration camp where was held captive at during WWII.

As Miller begins to investigate the sighting of Roschermann, he stumbles across Odessa, a group made up of former SS officers. They have fled Nazi Germany during the tail end of the war, but who are still committed to the cause. They have deep Influences in all aspects of government including the police across many countries. This leads Miller down a treacherous rabbit hole of dark alleyways, untrustworthy informants and suspicious men in fedoras following him in the dead of night, as he gets closer to discovering their ultimate plot.

Jon Voight turns in a good performance as Peter Miller, a man who's on a singular mission of justice, whether it costs him his life or not. Voight brings a-lot of credibility to the film, the scenes in which he has to portray emotional weight feel sincere. Maximilian Schell also gives a terrific performance in his portrayal of the malevolent, fiendish SS captain.

The Odessa File is directed by Ronald Neame, the film is well shot and edited. It deals with real world atrocities, that have been mixed/adapted with different names/places for the most part. It's an effective political thriller, the film manages to keep it's plot constantly moving and involving, even if at times it feels like it's treating its subject matter a bit too safe. The film doesn't have too many memorable moments or scenes to make itself standout in a time where political thrillers were dominant during the 1970s. It doesn't have the same ferocious impact as a film like Marathon Man. The Odessa File falls slightly short of the heights of the best political thrillers of the 1970s. It still is an Interesting film, and one that deserves to be discovered again.

Just a sad reminder of how gripping thrillers were a dime-a-dozen in the 70's, as compared to the suspense-bankrupt modern day. 2 hours of entertainment & not one single explosion!! Jon Voigt once again establishes himself as one of the best actors of the decade in his principal role as the tenacious journalist bent on revenge. The film & its subject matter could have easily been more confusing, and tho some scenes defy logic (a supposedly lethal hit man is reduced to dunderhead status in the film's pivotal fight scene), the story steams ahead fluidly til the climactic denoument. This is Voigt's movie, but the supporting cast is effective in small roles, especially Maximillian Schell in his few scenes & Mary Tamm, as Voigt's along-for-the-ride girlfriend who also happens to be very easy on the eyes. And look, there's Derek Jacobi, long before he met Kenneth Branagh, in a tiny, yet pivotal role! Forge, Derek, forge!! Not as good as "The Conversation" but infinitely better than any movie starring Sharon Stone or Steven Seagal (or both). 7 out of 10.