Boys from Brazil, The (1978, GBR/USA) C-125m. *** D: Franklin J. Schaffner. Starring Gregory Peck, Laurence Olivier, James Mason, Lilli Palmer, Uta Hagen, Steve Guttenberg, Denholm Elliott, Rosemary Harris, John Dehner, John Rubinstein, Anne Meara, Jeremy Black, Bruno Ganz, Walter Gotell, David Hurst, Wolfgang Preiss, Michael Gough, Joachim Hansen, Guy Dumont (=Sky Dumont), Georg Marischka, Günter Meisner, Prunella Scales, David Brandon. International thriller based on the novel by Ira Levin (ROSEMARY'S BABY). In Paraguay, infamous Nazi doctor Josef Mengele (Peck) is up to no good, as aging Nazi hunter Lieberman (Olivier) is informed in Vienna. Why is he plotting to kill 65-year-old family fathers around the world? Which evil scheme is behind all this? Some uneven stretches, unbelievable development almost ruin film, whose greatest asset are the brilliant performances, especially Peck's frighteningly intense portrayal of one of the Nazis' most heinous criminals. Futuristic undertones make it further interesting for cult movie buffs. Script by Heywood Gould (ROLLING THUNDER). Solid score by Jerry Goldsmith. Photographed by Henri Decae.


© Ron Altman