mark.waltz So says the wise old Jewish man, a Holocaust survivor who witnessed many atrocities and sought to bring one particularly evil Nazi to justice. But years have gone by, his spirit broken over the brutal murder of his wife, and death takes him mysteriously. For German journalist Jon Voight, reading this dead man's journal opens him up to a Nazi hunt, finding some shocking revelations along the way and finding his very existence in jeopardy as his life is threatened with several "convenient" accidents.Set right after the assassination of President Kennedy, this deals with evil powers attempting a return and more than determined to complete what they started. Flashbacks to the evils of the Holocaust show the genuine pleasures that S.S. officers took in torturing their Jewish prisoners before killing them, and surviving officer Maximilian Schell is the worst of them all. Voight realizes the evils of what he's dealing with right away, but this isn't a story he can sweep under the rug. Like Woodward and Bernstein with Watergate, he becomes obsessed with it.One of the powerful messages in this riveting political thriller is the warning that uncaptured enemies of the state can be more dangerous on the run than they were when at their height. The Odessa mission becomes about preventing the return of evil groups like this and warn other extremist groups that horrific terrors like this will be vigorously investigated and brought down. Considering that this was 27 years before 9/11, this message resonates today and makes this truly profound and nail biting. This is a different kind of cold war, combining several different styles of thrillers. Unlike "Marathon Man", which costarred Voight's "Midnight Cowboy" costar Dustin Hoffman, this is pretty much forgotten, but that doesn't make it any less memorable...and a must!

sunznc Starts rather abruptly with editorial over the screen hinting that this could be an intense, thrilling spy film based on an actual occurrence.Sadly though, it never really rises above mediocrity. Some of the scenes feel almost moldy and so old fashioned, it's hard to believe anyone ever thought it modern even when new. This hasn't aged well and while there are some intense moments and it moves well, the climax is a bit disappointing and the film ends as abruptly as it began.Some scenes could have been fleshed out more or contained much more interesting dialog. A lot of the scenes are very low key, almost static. Hasn't dated well.

phd_travel 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.

Neil Doyle THE ODESSA FILE is filmed in authentic European locations which give the story an added touch of realism, the kind needed in this sort of espionage thriller. JON VOIGHT does an excellent job of portraying a journalist who comes across a journal vividly describing what happened at a Nazi internment camp during the last days of WWII. He decides to go on a personal hunt for the much hated man he believes caused the death of some 80,000 Jews (MAXIMILIAN SCHELL). In doing so, he also reveals another purpose that will come as a surprise at the story's conclusion.But first he searches for "The Odessa File," full of documents on a band of former SS German soldiers who are now operating a secret society of former war criminals who still hold firmly to their former beliefs. The plot thickens once he begins to tackle the assignment, pitted against members who want him out of the way lest their true identities be revealed.Not quite as brilliant as THE DAY OF THE JACKAL, it's a Frederick Forsyth thriller that deserves the attention of anyone looking for an intelligent, well-paced thriller that benefits from excellent cinematography and a good background score with some music courtesy of Andrew Lloyd Webber long before his big show biz fame. The action scenes are handled for maximum effect and the final confrontation between Voigt and Schell makes for a satisfying climax.