Review of The Boys from Brazil (1978) by Danny R — 11 Jul 2016

Franklin J. Schaffner's intriguing sci-fi thriller based on the best-selling novel of the same name by Ira Levin. The late great Gregory Peck delivers a memorably chilling performance that earned him an Golden Globe nomination for Best Actor as infamous Nazi war criminal Dr.

Josef Mengele, a real-life monster that was the chief doctor at the Auschwitz concentration death camp, and who personally murdered thousands of Jews in monstrous medical experiments. He now gathers a group of his former colleagues to complete a horrifying project to clone Adolf Hitler, and rekindle the Third Reich.

Mengele intends to have 94 fathers around the world, all who are 65 years old murdered to simulate Hitler's own boyhood. In a brief, but nicely played cameo Steve Guttenburg plays a young aspiring Nazi hunter in Paraguay who informs a framed Nazi hunter named Ezra Lieberman, played brilliantly by the late great Sir Lawrence Olivier who received an Academy Award nomination for Best Actor for his terrific performance, of Mengele's nefarious plans when he is suddenly murdered before he can finish.

It will now be up to Lieberman alone to try and stop Mengele once he has discovered the extent of his twisted plan. Lieberman's search leads him to four strange identical boys in different countries, all played menacingly by young Jeremy Black.

These boys and 90 others from around the world are all clone's of Hitler. Mengele hopes that one of his clones will grow to become the new leader of the Aryan race, and create a Fourth Reich. Astute direction by Schaffner, with exceptional supporting performances by James Mason, Lilli Palmer, Uta Hagen, Denholm Elliott, and John Dehner, and an exquisite Oscar nominated score by the late great Jerry Goldsmith.

An engrossing film. Highly Recommended.