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The Odessa File

Play trailer Poster for The Odessa File PG 1974 2h 8m Mystery & Thriller Drama Play Trailer Watchlist
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69% Tomatometer 16 Reviews 64% Popcornmeter 2,500+ Ratings
A Holocaust victim's diary inspires a German journalist to embark on a dangerous hunt for postwar Nazis.
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The Odessa File

Critics Reviews

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Time Out 01/26/2006
Voight's performance gives credibility to his character's obsession, but even that cannot overcome the discrepancy between the deeper themes and the routine nature of this piece of box-office action adventure. Go to Full Review
Nora Sayre New York Times 05/09/2005
2/5
The film makes its points methodically, almost academically. Go to Full Review
Don Druker Chicago Reader 01/01/2000
The surprises increasingly fail to surprise. Go to Full Review
Tony Sloman Radio Times 08/08/2024
3/5
A terrific Frederick Forsyth plot and impressive production values make this thriller eminently watchable, even if veteran director Ronald Neame lets the pace drag and the length feels excessive. Go to Full Review
Eddie Harrison film-authority.com 04/21/2024
5/5
…Ronald Neame's Frederick Forsyth adaptation The Odessa File does well with the tension, the authentic locations and the terse dialogue, but there’s a genuine pathos in Miller’s crossing from innocence to revulsion at the sins of the fathers… Go to Full Review
Steve Crum Video-Reviewmaster.com 06/21/2008
4/5
Above average spy adventure w/young Jon Voight. Go to Full Review
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Audience Reviews

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CodyZamboni Z @CodyZamboni Nov 23 Solid, gripping thriller. Jon Voight becomes obsessed with finding German war criminal after reading the diary of a death camp survivor, He soon finds a much bigger and more disturbing conspiracy. Voight holds movie together with strong performance as a journalist who goes all in on finding the death camp commander, Even goes undercover via diguise, As attempts on his life pile up, Final showdown is satisfying, I did not see the twist coming. See more Russ G Nov 9 Perhaps regarded as an "Important" film half a century ago but it's a pretty long slog toward a predictable conclusion. See more Jelisije J @jjosifovic Mar 21 A well acted film that sad to say was very predictable from beginning to end. See more isla s 09/03/2022 This is what I regard a subtle thriller film. Its not jam packed with fast paced scenes, explosions and the like but it does have a certain thriller aspect to it. Its ok as a mysterious, dialogue heavy story, the plot pace is alright but its not the sort of film that leaves much of an impact on me. The story is quite sobering and sad and the fact that its apparently based on (if but loosely) some facts is certainly food for thought. The main role of Peter Miller (played by Jon Voight) is played well and also present is Derek Jacobi, as Klaus Wenzer. Its a little bland in the middle but I thought the final scene was quite good, worth the wait. Its thoughtful stuff (one key quote worth mentioning being 'Peoples are not evil - only individuals are evil') and there are some twists present but I won't elaborate anymore. Overall I'd say this is worth a watch, yes. See more Paul G 01/07/2022 Its a slow burner investigation, but it has a great final confrontation. Well worth a watch, it has aged well. See more 12/02/2020 Frederick Forsyth has written a number of pulpy thrillers from the 1970s onwards with a number of them being turned into movies. Most notably with the superbly tense "The Day of the Jackal" and while "The Odessa File" doesn't quite match up to comparison with that movie, it is a great thriller from that era. John Voight stars as a journalist who becomes involved in uncovering a network of former Nazis hiding in post war West Germany. It is very of its era and so appears somewhat dated and slow in places to the modern viewer but what I love is the gritty, grimy look of the setting. I think we tend to forget just how grim parts of Europe were at this time and, certainly in my household, observations of Hamburg in the 1960s sparked a number of conversations and comparisons with modern times. See more Read all reviews
The Odessa File

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Movie Info

Synopsis A Holocaust victim's diary inspires a German journalist to embark on a dangerous hunt for postwar Nazis.
Director
Ronald Neame
Producer
John Woolf
Screenwriter
Frederick Forsyth, Kenneth Ross, George Markstein
Production Co
Columbia Pictures Corporation
Rating
PG
Genre
Mystery & Thriller, Drama
Original Language
British English
Release Date (Streaming)
Apr 1, 2010
Runtime
2h 8m
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