The Odessa File (1974)

64% of critics liked it
(14 reviews)
62% of users liked it
(2,982 ratings)

The Odessa File is set in Hamburg in the winter of 1963. Jon Voight plays Peter Miller, a German reporter who is investigating the whereabouts of missing Nazi war criminals. After reading the diary of a Holocaust survivor who has recently committed suicide, Miller goes on the trail of in-hiding SS… More The Odessa File is set in Hamburg in the winter of 1963. Jon Voight plays Peter Miller, a German reporter who is investigating the whereabouts of missing Nazi war criminals. After reading the diary of a Holocaust survivor who has recently committed suicide, Miller goes on the trail of in-hiding SS officer Eduard Roschmann (Maximilian Schell). The reporter finds his investigation blocked by members of a secretive group called Odessa. With the help of Israeli activists, Miller persists in his search. Schell's sister Maria also appears in The Odessa File as Miller's mother, the widow of a German soldier. Based on a nailbiting novel by Frederick Forsyth, The Odessa File is highlighted by the exquisitely Teutonic score of Andrew Lloyd Webber. ~ Hal Erickson, Rovi

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Rating, Runtime: PG, 2 hr. 8 min.
Directed By: Ronald Neame
Written By: Frederick Forsyth, Kenneth Ross, George Markstein
Genres: Drama, Action & Adventure, Art House & International, Mystery & Suspense, Classics

In Theaters: Oct 18, 1974 Wide
On DVD: Aug 28, 2001
Studio: Sony Pictures Home Entertainment

Critic Reviews

Nora Sayre, New York Times
The film makes its points methodically, almost academically.
Don Druker, Chicago Reader
The surprises increasingly fail to surprise.
Steve Crum, Video-Reviewmaster.com
Above average spy adventure w/young Jon Voight.
Dennis Schwartz, Ozus' World Movie Reviews
Neame's uninspired direction has a great performance by Jon Voight get thrown under the train.
, Time Out
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.
Christopher Null, Filmcritic.com
Unfortunately, this ends up being mostly a series of mano-a-mano confrontations behind closed doors, with the "revelations" reaching absurd level by the end.
Ken Hanke, Mountain Xpress (Asheville, NC)
Genuinely effective thriller.
, Film4
Tightly plotted and for the most part pretty convincing Cold War thriller built around a typically muscular performance by Voight.

Read all 8 critic reviews

Critic ratings and reviews powered by RottenTomatoes.com

Fresh (60% or more critics rated the movie positively)

Rotten (59% or fewer critics rated the movie positively)

Featured Audience Ratings

Lucas M

Frederick Forsyth's novel, The Odessa File, adaptation have a terrific work of the Ronald Neame, that make the audience, together with Jon Voight's character, Peter Miller, discover, all that involved. Tense, chilling, fun and extremely good writing. Fresh.
jay n

A yawner.
familiar s

Saw it as it was highly applauded by most of the viewers, but unfortunately, it failed to meet my expectations & proved to be just an average fare.
Barry L

Great film. Bit dated now but brillaince of the writting says it all.

Cast

            Jon Voight as Peter Miller

            Maximilian Schell as Eduard Roschmann

            Maria Schell as Frau Miller

            Mary Tamm as Sigi

            Derek Jacobi as Klaus Wenzer

            Shmuel Rodensky as Simon Wiesenthal

            Martin Brandt as Marx

            Werner Bruhns as Magazine Publisher Hoffmann

            Hans Caninberg as Dr. Ferdinand Schultz

            Alexander Golling as Colonel

            Peter Jeffrey as David Porath

            Towje Kleiner as Solomon Tauber

            Klaus Lowitsch as Gustav MacKensen

            Georg Marischka as Lawyer

            Kurt Meisel as Oster

            Günter Meisner as Gen. Greifer

            Hannes Messemer as Gen. Glocks

            Garfield Morgan as Israeli General

            Elisabeth Neumann-Viertel as Frau Wenzer

            Ernst Schroeder as Werner Deilman

            Cyril Shaps as Tauber

            Günter Strack as Police Official Kunik

            Noel Willman as Franz Bayer

            Hans Wyprächtiger as Landlord

            Heinz Ehrenfreund as Shapira

            Joachim D. Mues as Wehrmacht Captain

            Til Kiwe as Medal Shop Proprietor

            Gunnar Moeller as Karl Braun

            Maximillian Schell
            
See full cast