#1 ·
I was just sitting here digging through my hard drive, trying to find some way to kill a couple of hours, when I stumbled upon this movie. “Boys from Brazil” "Interesting," I thought to myself. "Maybe this could actually work."
So, I actually picked up this movie just a couple of months ago from a buddy of mine. I have to admit, I was pretty stoked when he handed it over because I remember seeing it back when I was a kid. OK... it’s not like I actually sat down and watched it right then, or maybe I did? I guess. 🤔I mean, I vaguely remember some scenes involving Dobermans... anyways, whether I actually sat down to watch it or not about ten years ago, I didn't know a single thing about the movie. Honestly, I almost completely forgot it even existed because it was just sitting there in some random, useless folder on my hard drive.
To make a long story short... I had the girl, the couch, a blanket, and some popcorn all ready to go. Everything was set for a perfect movie night.
The cast alone looks pretty promising—you've got Gregory Peck and Laurence Olivier lined up. Honestly, that part alone gave me a good laugh right from the start. I guess I’m just going to vent about the credits for a second. It really gets under my skin how much they mess this up sometimes. Maybe it’s just me, but it feels like a total afterthought when it should actually mean something.And honestly, I don't even know which movie he actually pulls that off in, Steven.I guess there isn't much to say yet, but I'm here. Guttenberg... yeah, you read that right, with an N at the end. 😂 The poor guy probably thought he actually had a shot at a career back then. 😛
Anyways, the little snippets of the movie that stuck in my head during the screening gave me this impression that I was in for some kind of fast-paced action thriller, but man, was I wrong.
Minor spoilers ahead.
What’s the actual plot of the movie? So, our good buddy Steven plays this young Jewish guy—honestly, he’s so minor I can’t even bother remembering his name—who stumbles upon a Nazi cell out in Paraguay. He tries to report his "discovery" to Ezri Liberman (played by Laurence Olivier), who’s supposedly this big-shot "Nazi hunter." But instead of actually helping, the guy just shuts him down every single time, basically telling him to just pack it up and head back to the States.
Even so, Steven doesn't back down, eventually uncovering that the whole group is actually being run by that notorious doctor, Josef Mengele. It turns out they’re all working on this mission to bring the Third Reich back to life. (BTW, it feels like every single movie involving neo-Nazis involves hearing about the rebirth of the Third Reich... I mean, shouldn't they just call it the Fourth Reich at this point?)
Of course, Steven doesn't live long enough to expose them all, but he does manage to pass some intel along to Ezri Liberman. From there, Ezri starts traveling the world, trying to piece together what's actually going on behind the scenes.
That’s basically all there is to the plot.
So, what are everyone's thoughts? It’s kind of weird... the subject matter of the movie is actually pretty heavy, and honestly, it still feels relevant today given how it tackles corruption. But I don't know, a huge chunk of the scenes felt almost "unserious" to me—like they were leaning way too hard into comic relief.
I mean, think about that scene where Liberman is talking to the widow and she starts flirting with him, or when that woman at the party screams, “Call the doctor,” and Mengele just hits back with, “I am the doctor,” right after he nearly chokes the guy out. I don't know, I guess that part actually made me laugh out loud. (Am I a sick person???)
Then there’s that gorgeous musical theme composed by Jerry Goldsmith—just this lovely little waltz. Honestly, in those moments, I didn't even get the feeling I was watching some intense thriller or a heavy drama, or whatever you want to call it.
On the other hand, the movie features some seriously intense scenes that honestly take the whole thing to a completely different level. For instance, there’s that part where Mengele starts reminiscing about his hospital and those surgeries he used to perform, or those unsettling shots with the Dobermans, and then there's that final scene—but don't worry, I won't give you any spoilers. 😉 Man... I still can't quite wrap my head around what to think about that movie.
I have to point out this pretty solid story—at least in my book. It manages to keep you on the edge of your seat for a good ninety minutes, revealing just enough plot along the way to pull you in. It’s one of those movies that actually makes you want to stick around instead of turning it off the second you finish your popcorn. (Personal note to self... eat fewer popcorns next time.)
All things considered, it’s just a solid movie to unwind with on a quiet night in front of the TV. 👍
So, I actually picked up this movie just a couple of months ago from a buddy of mine. I have to admit, I was pretty stoked when he handed it over because I remember seeing it back when I was a kid. OK... it’s not like I actually sat down and watched it right then, or maybe I did? I guess. 🤔I mean, I vaguely remember some scenes involving Dobermans... anyways, whether I actually sat down to watch it or not about ten years ago, I didn't know a single thing about the movie. Honestly, I almost completely forgot it even existed because it was just sitting there in some random, useless folder on my hard drive.
To make a long story short... I had the girl, the couch, a blanket, and some popcorn all ready to go. Everything was set for a perfect movie night.
The cast alone looks pretty promising—you've got Gregory Peck and Laurence Olivier lined up. Honestly, that part alone gave me a good laugh right from the start. I guess I’m just going to vent about the credits for a second. It really gets under my skin how much they mess this up sometimes. Maybe it’s just me, but it feels like a total afterthought when it should actually mean something.And honestly, I don't even know which movie he actually pulls that off in, Steven.I guess there isn't much to say yet, but I'm here. Guttenberg... yeah, you read that right, with an N at the end. 😂 The poor guy probably thought he actually had a shot at a career back then. 😛
Anyways, the little snippets of the movie that stuck in my head during the screening gave me this impression that I was in for some kind of fast-paced action thriller, but man, was I wrong.
Minor spoilers ahead.
What’s the actual plot of the movie? So, our good buddy Steven plays this young Jewish guy—honestly, he’s so minor I can’t even bother remembering his name—who stumbles upon a Nazi cell out in Paraguay. He tries to report his "discovery" to Ezri Liberman (played by Laurence Olivier), who’s supposedly this big-shot "Nazi hunter." But instead of actually helping, the guy just shuts him down every single time, basically telling him to just pack it up and head back to the States.
Even so, Steven doesn't back down, eventually uncovering that the whole group is actually being run by that notorious doctor, Josef Mengele. It turns out they’re all working on this mission to bring the Third Reich back to life. (BTW, it feels like every single movie involving neo-Nazis involves hearing about the rebirth of the Third Reich... I mean, shouldn't they just call it the Fourth Reich at this point?)
Of course, Steven doesn't live long enough to expose them all, but he does manage to pass some intel along to Ezri Liberman. From there, Ezri starts traveling the world, trying to piece together what's actually going on behind the scenes.
That’s basically all there is to the plot.
So, what are everyone's thoughts? It’s kind of weird... the subject matter of the movie is actually pretty heavy, and honestly, it still feels relevant today given how it tackles corruption. But I don't know, a huge chunk of the scenes felt almost "unserious" to me—like they were leaning way too hard into comic relief.
I mean, think about that scene where Liberman is talking to the widow and she starts flirting with him, or when that woman at the party screams, “Call the doctor,” and Mengele just hits back with, “I am the doctor,” right after he nearly chokes the guy out. I don't know, I guess that part actually made me laugh out loud. (Am I a sick person???)
Then there’s that gorgeous musical theme composed by Jerry Goldsmith—just this lovely little waltz. Honestly, in those moments, I didn't even get the feeling I was watching some intense thriller or a heavy drama, or whatever you want to call it.
On the other hand, the movie features some seriously intense scenes that honestly take the whole thing to a completely different level. For instance, there’s that part where Mengele starts reminiscing about his hospital and those surgeries he used to perform, or those unsettling shots with the Dobermans, and then there's that final scene—but don't worry, I won't give you any spoilers. 😉 Man... I still can't quite wrap my head around what to think about that movie.
I have to point out this pretty solid story—at least in my book. It manages to keep you on the edge of your seat for a good ninety minutes, revealing just enough plot along the way to pull you in. It’s one of those movies that actually makes you want to stick around instead of turning it off the second you finish your popcorn. (Personal note to self... eat fewer popcorns next time.)
All things considered, it’s just a solid movie to unwind with on a quiet night in front of the TV. 👍