The Man Who Killed Hitler and Then The Bigfoot

Dir: Robert D. Krzykowski

2018

*****

I have a rule that applies to film, beer and betting on horses – be weary of the one with the funniest name, as it is almost always disappointing/tastes bland/comes last. Not The Man Who Killed Hitler and Then the Bigfoot though, this film is one of 2018’s best. Robert Krzykowski’s debut boasts beautiful visuals and a brilliant leading performance from the great Sam Elliott but the name is clearly an issue for some people. I think people have passed it by and brushed it aside, mistaking it for a b-movie, or even worse, a satirical b-movie with an amazing poster that is smug and self-aware, but still a crumby b-movie. It may be a low-budget film but it ain’t no b-movie. In fact, its one of the last great American-American films in my humble opinion. Set sometime in the mid to late 1980s, the story follows Calvin Barr (Sam Elliott), an old man living his retirement days in his quiet hometown with only his faithful dog as company. While resting, walking and sitting upon his porch, Barr reminiscences about his past, specifically his time as a special ops soldier during the Second World War. It is clear that Barr is full of regret, resentment and sadness. As a young man (played by Aidan Turner) he was full of life and was looking forward to a life with his sweetheart Maxine (played by Caitlin FitzGerald) until his country asked him to make the ultimate sacrifice, saying goodbye to his old life and going on a secret mission to assassinate Adolf Hitler. He does indeed kill Hitler but the operation was made classified and was never revealed to the public. Barr returned home to the life he had before, no heroes welcome and Maxine had moved on. Barr doesn’t like the thought that he has killed, even though it was Hitler and he feels quiet resentment for the loss of the life he wanted to have.  Life now is about reflection, he is a man of few words. He has a daily routing, one that sometimes includes visiting his brother Ed (Larry Miller) in his barbershop, the only person he speaks with and has a connection to. We soon learn though that he isn’t such an old man and his abilities and strength are still sound as he fights off a group of thugs intent on stealing his car. Soon after, he notices he is being followed by two mysterious looking men. The men eventually approach him identifying themselves as joint American and a Canadian government agents. They explain that all life on Earth may be coming to an end as a strange virus has been killing people and animals around the world and the original source of the virus is Bigfoot itself. Knowing Barr is a highly trained tracker and survivalist, can keep a secret and is somehow one of the few people on Earth immune to the virus, the agents try to recruit him to go into the wilderness and kill the Bigfoot in hopes it will end the epidemic. Barr hunts the Bigfoot, wounding him. After much tracking, he finds the Bigfoot dying. Barr chooses to burn the body rather than turn it over to the government, but this was a trap set up by the Bigfoot who then attacks Barr, maiming him. The two fight until Barr stabs the Bigfoot to death. Barr lays back, seemingly dying from his wound. The screen fades to Barr's funeral as his brother gives a beautiful eulogy. He is presumed dead and a few of his belongings are buried instead of a body. A little time passes and Ed goes fishing with Barr's dog whom he has adopted. Barr appears and greets him and the two go fishing together. Barr later digs up his casket to retrieve keepsakes. Like I say, this ain’t no sensationalist b-movie and the fact that John Sayles and Douglas Trumbull acted as producers should go some way in suggesting as much. It also stars Ron Livingston, who seems to be concentrating on quality over quantity of late and I seem to love pretty much everything he has appeared in, proving himself to be something of a quality measure. The assassination of Hitler and the killing of Bigfoot are side-notes in a slow-burn character study, however, the character here is bigger than just one man. Basically, Barr is an allegory of modern America. Stay with me here folks. The film starts as an allegory of the USA vs the Nazis and then the fight against Bigfoot is an allegory of the cold war. Russian solders help Barr locate Hitler and in one particular scene where he is shaved by a Russian General, the General predicts the outcome of the war by comparing the two men. The shave is an act of great trust and he refers to Barr as ‘Mr. America’. Barr feels empty, as if the mission wasn’t over after he killed Hitler. He killed the man but he didn’t kill his ideas. Bigfoot represents an illogical fear, it is both sensationalist (as were many scandals and ideas of the time) and ridiculous (the idea that Bigfoot is a virus that will spread to the whole world (like communism). Barr is somehow immune (the American soldier/patriot) and others are either too old or too young to do the job. It’s another sacrifice, an easy one for the government, because Barr has nothing to loose, knows that it needs to be done and is well aware of what the American dream is and that in reality, it is all an illusion. The Bigfoot isn’t quite the beast we all think of it as and Barr sees himself in it. Once he does vanquish him though, he feels that somehow his mission is complete, he is declared dead but he lives on and is at peace. The dates on his grave are the same as the fall of the Soviet Union but he digs up his own grave and collects his possession so that he, the American solder, is ready to fight again in needed. There are lots of things to consider and I think a lot of it is open to interpretation. Hitler did exist but killing him didn’t really do anything and nobody knows about it, while on the other hand, Bigfoot doesn’t really exist but killing him did make a difference, and the fact that no one knows about it is fine. I think it’s a great personal and historical journey through America, not necessarily based on fact (definitely not based on fact) but on feeling. It’s quirky but also compellingly deep. Make what you will but if you’re looking for a film along the lines of Abraham Lincoln: Vampire Hunter than I’m afraid this isn’t it, it’s far better in my opinion. I’m going to go as far as saying that its something of an alternative masterpiece.