Under the lens takes a deep look at films by focusing in on one or two particular areas of the picture that helped to define it for better or for worse. Spoilers will be included in this review.
The Man Who Killed Hitler And Then The Bigfoot, is perhaps one of the oddest pictures to come along in a number of years. Starring Sam Elliot, Aiden Turner, and Larry Miller, the picture tells a period tale about a former special forces soldier, Calvin Barr who was tasked with and succeeded in killing Hitler in WWII. Decades later, he is then approached by the U.S Government to hunt down Bigfoot, a last of it’s kind creature that carries a world-ending virus with it, before it crosses the border of Canada into the United States. The story is fascinating as I would call it more allegory then real-life adventure. It is clear that the tale is not really about Hitler or Bigfoot, in fact, the plot glosses over these points rather quickly and chooses to spend more time with Barr, exploring his life, his love, and his relationships.
Under The Lens: Philosophy
Philosophy is at the heart of The Man Who Killed Hitler And Then The Bigfoot, as stated above Hitler and Bigfoot are used as stand-ins for issues that Calvin is struggling with. At its heart, the picture seemingly is using Calvin as a stand-in for mankind, while also zooming in to explore issues of loss and moving on from the past at a more individual level.
Calvin struggles with killing Hitler, as he tells his brother he did not want to kill anyone. When he is approached by the Government, he tells them that killing Hitler did nothing, the idea had spread like a disease, and that killing one man was not enough anymore, as his followers just spread his vile beliefs. The idea of Hitlers Philosophy being like a sickness plays into Calvin’s hunt for Bigfoot, Calvin killed Hitler with the hope that it would stop the evil, yet it did not. Bigfoot being a walking plague carrier, represented Calvin (and Mankinds) desire to remove evil through a simple and easy method, killing Bigfoot (Who represented the primordial evil in mankind) would fix everything!
This leads into the more focused idea of overcoming the past, Calvin is haunted by his past and his inability to halt evil. His past is showcased as a box that holds some secret we never are shown, and by a tiny rock in his show that he has throughout the film. After killing Bigfoot we see that Calvin has finally moved on, he digs up the box and resolves to face its contents, and after he does the rock in his shoes is removed. Calvin (and us) are obsessed with the idea of a single fix that will remove our problems, but dwelling on those problems can end up killing us, Calvin’s past drove him to hunt Bigfoot and it almost killed him. In the end, Calvin finds peace not by killing Bigfoot but by reconnecting with his brother and facing his past.
Highlights
The picture had some very wonderful cinematography, in particular the burn out scene.
The final fight with the Bigfoot and its appearance sees the picture dip its toe into horror, as the monster is truly scary and goes from a sad wounded animal to a fearsome predator in a blink of an eye.
Sam Elliot and Larry Miller both delivered great performances.
Something to think about
What do you think Bigfoot symbolized in this motion picture?
Conclusion
The Man Who Killed Hitler And Then The Bigfoot, is not a thriller or an action film, it’s a drama that uses a flamboyant plot to make the audience think about deeper issues of the human condition. It’s slow and chooses to focus on relationships and conversation with its Hitler and Bigfoot plot being almost afterthoughts. It’s a bold picture that takes risks that sometimes don’t always work, but in the end, its bold allegorical tale outweighs its odd narrative structure.