Very Cool!!!

Great Film overall

Fantastic!

In truth, there is barely enough story here to make a film.

A true classic from my youth, both the book and the movie. Watching the movie again in 2018, it holds up well but it's hard not to imagine a bit of modern film technique touch-ups here and there. I only have a couple of criticisms of this fine film that I enjoyed thoroughly each time I have seen it. It's just corny to see a movie about Germany yet hear barely a word of German, and even worse, have everyone speaking English with phony German accents. It would have added tremendously to the verisimilitude of the movie had some of the speeches been spoken in German. I think that filmmakers underestimate the intelligence of viewer when they do this, either that or they know the audience well enough to understand that most slobs don't want to listen to a foreign language.The music is pretty awful throughout the film. It's like the borrowed most of the music from a porn flick. There is absolutely nothing wrong with the story and it's one that towers above most of the rubbish of most films of this genre. Today it's all about how many people you can kill inside of idiot plots that all seem basically the same.

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.

From the skillful and adroit hand of master novelist Frederick Forsythe comes this suspenseful story which begins in the wet streets of Berlin and traces itself to a WW II concentration camp called Riga. The movie is called " The Odessa File " and is based on the secret organization which helps ex-Nazis escape justice. Jon Voight plays Peter Miller a young German journalist who is intrigued by the diary of a survivor of the Riga death camp and left a journal identifying the 'Butcher' of Riga. With that diary, Miller decides to investigate if in fact Eduard Roschmann (Maximilian Schell) is still at large. Endangering his life and that of his girlfriend, Miller learns that Mossad, the Israeli Intelligence arm is also trying to locate the source of a electrical missile guidance system threatening Israel. With the help of Simon Wiesenthal (Shmuel Rodensky) and Mossad, Miller infiltrates the Oddessa organization and soon discovers Klaus Wenzer (Derek Jacobi) the man behind the false identifications given to escaping Nazis. However, Oddessa agents also discover who Miller really is and send their own men to dispose of him. The film is filled with intrigue, dark drama and tingling suspense and with Voight at the helm, this movie will soon join only the best which have all become Classics. ****

It is interesting that the movie opens with the assassination of President John F. Kennedy on Nov. 22, 1963 in Dallas, a date and name that may mean nothing to young people today, or to non-Americans.Spoiler alert:The Odessa File is about a vast Nazi conspiracy, about Nazis who have infiltrated every level of government, police and business in post-war Germany. Some believe there was also a high-level conspiracy behind the killing of JFK. Is the movie suggesting a parallel?This is a great movie that holds up well to repeat viewings over the years. History can gain greater meaning as we age, if we take the time to study it. With greater familiarity of World War 2, this movie takes on added strength. The extraordinary ending still has power. The Odessa File has a slower pace than most thrillers, but this allows for creating a sense of atmosphere and gives the movie life and realism. Perhaps this is one reason it holds up well in repeat viewings.This pace and naturalistic direction is also found in director Ronald Neamse's Hopscotch (1980). While Hopscotch is a comic thriller, and Odessa has utterly serious, there are some curious connections, making Hopscotch a good follow up movie. The commentary to Hopscotch is especially interesting. Walter Matthau actually wanted to turn down the role, but instead said he would do it only if Ronald Neame were to direct. He didn't actually know Neame, had no particular reason to pick him, and assumed this condition would never be met, so he figured he was off the hook. But the studio offered the picture to Neame and he accepted, so Matthau was stuck. This was a problem because they planned to film in Germany, and Matthau refused to set foot in the country because the Nazis had killed many of his relatives. A deal was set to hire his son as an actor if he would film the scenes in Germany, so it was back on. I mention this because after watching Odessa, it is clear Neame was a good fit with Matthau because of the anti-Nazi credentials of this movie. And he was an absolutely perfect fit for Hopscotch because of his relaxed, atmospheric style. I guess it was one of those Hollywood serendipities. Other movies of Neame's I recommend are Gambit, with Michael Caine and Shirley MacLaine, and the truly unusual The Horse's Mouth, starring Alec Guinness.Some are critical of the Andrew Lloyd Weber music for The Odessa File; it is certainly an odd decision to begin such a serious movie with a faux Christmas Carol and use it as a theme. But there is very little background music in the movie, and it doesn't need it. The movie gets serious quickly enough, so why wear the viewer down from the start? And the melody has an appropriately German lilt, a sort of beer hall polka carol, that is reasonably pleasant. I wouldn't mind hearing in played in the shopping malls in season, but it never caught on. Is Odessa a 10? I figure if a movie is in my list of top 100 or 200 movies, out of the thousands I have seen, and it holds up to repeat viewings over the years, then surely it must be a 10, regardless of any nitpicking about music or whatnot.Odessa has a rich, complex, tight plot, some taut suspense, powerful subject matter presented realistically and credibly, and a dynamite ending that not only surprises and ties all of the movie together, but also provides an emotional catharsis that leaves you sitting in your chair in stunned silence after the movie ends. What more could you ask for? So 10 it is. Is this Neame's best work? Neame worked in many different genres, so it is hard to compare. Hopscotch is by far my favorite, but I suppose in terms of directorial technique, Odessa may be his best, that I have seen. And I dare say people will still be watching The Odessa File in the year 2111, 2211, 2311, and probably for as long as there are movies, because of its powerful historical message.