Years and years after World War II was ended by the assassination of Adolf Hitler by unknown and unhonored American hero, Calvin Barr. Calvin is called on once again by the government for another mission. This time, he must hunt down the myth that is Bigfoot. Only this is a Bigfoot slightly different than the misunderstood creature we saw in Harry and the Hendersons. This particular hairy beast carries a deadly plague that could destroy humanity.
There's multiple reasons this filmed worked for me. First and foremost, while obviously I had no idea what I was about to sit down and watch, I had no interest in seeing some over-CGed epic battle between Barr and Hitler and Barr and Bigfoot. Instead, I got a sharply written character study of Barr himself. The Man who saved us from the evil of Hitler. The Man who saved us from a plague spread by Harry's (and the Hendersons) evil Bigfoot brother. Next is the combination of cinematography by Alex Vendler, production design by Brett Hatcher, AND the art direction by Chantal Birdsong. Because of these three it sells the time, the place, and most importantly, for this film, the FEEL of the environment. I expected going into this film seeing some over-the-top, obnoxious, bullet-ridden sludge of a movie where clearly the money ran out midway through the final firefight. Or where the funds were not allocated properly. Frivolous, is a word that comes to mind. However, with a keen eye on the budget by those three (and the director), none of those things happened resulting in my letdown. Last but not least, the subtlety of the visual effects compliments of the crew of Douglas Trumball (Blade Runner 2049). As aforementioned, while I didn't know what I was getting into, I did assume some CG-driven nightmare. Not so.
My favorite aspect of the film was that every actor played it straight. Clearly, this was the artistic decision by writer/director Robert D. Krzykowski and executed perfectly by the cast. Accentuated by the fact that Sam Elliott's character study of Calvin Barr is about as palpable as you could ask for. And ironically enough, an all-time performance by Elliott. Yeah, I said it.
The Man Who Killed Hitler and Then The Bigfoot may not be the movie you wanted to see when you sat down but it's the movie you didn't know you needed to see presented in the manner that it was.
The film is now available on VOD and Digital HD from RLJE Films. You can also pre-order the film on Blu-ray, set to release on April 2nd, 2019.
Check out Ellissinema's podcast for The Man Who Killed Hitler and Then The Bigfoot below!
