I remember seeing the ad for this film in Variety back in the early 80's. A strong cast--Rex Harrison, Rod Taylor, Edward Albert, Raf Vallone--and directed by the legendary Matt Cimber. The end result is a curious creation--a revenge melodrama with higher aspirations, a misfire that is still interesting to watch. Edward Albert's new bride and her family and brutally killed by Nazis in the waning days of World War II, and Albert swears to track the six men (four Germans, a Hungarian, and a Sicilian) responsible, which he does after the war is over, with the assistance of a prostitute who helps him. Albert was shot and left for dead by the Nazis, and he still has bullet fragments in his brain which cause him serious problems. The "track down the killers" revenge plot has been used in countless westerns and action films, and it's not done in any overly original way here (although the way he kills the car mechanics is novel, like something out of a Republic serial). Also, Albert seems to get access to the people he needs to kill quite easily (yes, Rod Taylor's character may be helping him get to them, but still more tension needs to be created for each buildup). One wonders if the film had a troubled production history as there is a credit for "additional scenes directed by...", which credits Joe Tornatore (director of Grotesque, with Tab Hunter), and also both Robert O. Ragland and Ennio Morricone scored different parts of the film. Rex Harrison was a strange choice for the Nazi officer who later is in line to become post-war chancellor of Germany. Did the producers want a Nazi with a British accent? And Rod Taylor's Australian accent is a bit off-putting for an American intelligence officer (I guess his character emigrated to the US from Oz). Raf Vallone isn't given much to do, but does it with his usual class. Edward Albert's character is obsessed, obviously, but also somewhat out-of-it due to his head injury. The latter aspect could have been dealt with more consistently throughout the film, but is basically dropped after the first two-thirds. Mr. Albert is also credited as an assistant (or associate, I forget) producer of the film. There are some attractive European locations used in the film, and it's always a pleasure to watch people of the caliber of Harrison and Taylor and Vallone at work (Mr. Albert has always been much under-rated too, in my opinion). The sleaze elements often expected in a Matt Cimber project are not in evidence here--except for a few seconds of bare breast, this could have easily gotten a PG rating. Still, unless you are a devoted fan of director Cimber, or of one of the stars, or of Mario Puzo, upon whose story the film was based, it's not worth tracking down an old VHS copy of this obscure film. Perhaps it will someday appear as a budget-bin DVD--if so, it's probably worth under five dollars to watch on a rainy day. I paid two dollars for my used video, and feel I got my money's worth.-
Review of A Time to Die
A Time to Die
(1982)
curious World War II revenge melodrama--good cast and locations
8 February 2006