Sam Elliott embodies the legacies of the great men of action past.
If ever there was a title that sold a movie it was this one. What a batshit crazy concept. And it just arrived with little fanfare in VOD. I was wondering what I would get. Would it be the inspired insanity of Abraham Lincoln: Vampire Hunter? Or would it be the missed opportunity of Bubba Ho-Tep. I am happy to report to you all that The Man Who Killed Hitler and Then the Bigfoot transcended both movies and takes its place alongside the characters of Robert Duvall and Michael Cain from Secondhand Lions.
Have any of you ever wondered where our action heroes go to grow old? What are their lives like after they have won the war to end all wars, after they have saved the world for the unpatch time or rescued the damsel in distress? Well, here comes your answer.
Sam Elliot at His Finest
The hero of our tale goes by the name of Calvin Barr, played in his older years by Sam Elliott. He lives his life as many a septuagenarian does. He lives alone having outlived many of his peers. He wakes in the morning to eat a simple breakfast and takes his medication out of a plastic pillbox. He then meticulously dresses himself and heads into town to pass the day. His day ends in the local tavern sipping a whisky and reminiscing. But reminiscing about what?
Well, it turns out this old man is the killer of Hitler. Not the doppelganger killed in the bunker that only prolonged the war, but the actual Fuhrer. Turns out Calvin left behind a promising career in hat sales and his girl to enlist in the army to go off and fight the Nazis. Selected and trained by the US government, in his youth -played by Aidan Turner – he went behind enemy lines and infiltrated the Third Reich until the opportunity presented itself to kill the Fuhrer.
It is said that Mr. Barr became a legend in certain circles with missions only hinted at. At some point in the intervening years, he returned to the town of his birth. His girl has long since moved on and he has outlived most of his family and friends. Mr. Barr is just passing the days…
Until the government comes calling for one final mission he is uniquely qualified for. A deadly virus is about to jump species and patient zero is hiding in the Pacific Northwest. Everybody that has been sent has failed to return. Mr. Barr may be humanity’s last hope. Recognizing that a hero’s journey is never over, Mr. Barr gears up with a scoped rifle, a big ass knife and a genetic immunity to the virus, he sets off on the hunt. His target is the legendary creature known as The Bigfoot.
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The Legacy of Great Men
Sam Elliott may be the only 74 year old actor that can make you believe he can go Mano el Mano with Sasquatch. This was the man who mentored Dalton in Road House then went on to do the same with the Ghost Rider. He has literally appeared in every Western ever made.
The characters he portrays don’t hang out in any weight room. They are more likely found out riding his horse wrangling cattle and helping neighbors raise barns. A man’s man from a bygone era. When he was nominated for his first academy award last year, his response was “ It’s about fucking time.” This is a man who will give the noble Bigfoot the death he deserves.
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Damn do I love this movie and this character. More than most in recent memory, it deserves a sequel. What was Mr. Barr doing in those years since WWII? Repelling an alien invasion at Roswell? Fighting Communists during the 1950’s. Founded the SEALs and Green Berets. Led the Bay of Pigs invasion. Warned about our involvement in Vietnam. The possibilities in filling in those missing years are endless.
This is a great movie to share with a parent or a grandparent. Let them regale you of tales of when men were men and what’s wrong with this generation. But the lesson all of us should take from this movie is that old man driving with his turn signal on or is counting change in the checkout lane used to be more of a badass then you will ever be. And you should give him a wide berth and the respect he deserves.
This author wishes to maintain his secret identity goes by the name of his favorite comic book hero Iron Fist. When he’s not collecting comics from his childhood, watching action movies or raising his three kids, he works a a police officer, trains Muay Thai, Jeet Kune Do, Kali and Brazilian Jiu Jitsu. Needless to say, he takes poor martial arts or sloppy gun handling skills personally. And he lives and trains in Chicago.
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