The Boys from Brazil

I recall the first time I saw this - aged ten, or so, and been terrified by the ending... Laurence Olivier is "Lieberman", a Nazi hunter who is given some detailed information from a very young Steve Guttenburg ("Kohler") that his long sought nemesis Dr. Josef Mengele (Gregory Peck) is thriving in Paraguay - and that he has an intriguing ongoing scheme that could reignite the whole Nazi movement. What ensues involves Oliver travelling to South America where he must thwart this deadly plan. Neither actor are at the top of their game, indeed for many of Olivier's scenes I half expected Neil Diamond to emerge singing "Love on the Rocks" (even if we are 18 months too early). There is certainly something menacing about the whole thing, though - ...

Imaginative conspiracy thriller involving escaped German war criminals

A discredited Nazi-hunter in Vienna (Laurence Olivier) slowly learns of a plot to resurrect the Third Reich spearheaded by a mad geneticist, whos conducting experiments in remote Paraguay (Gregory Peck). James Mason is also on hand as a colonel in the latters service.

The Boys from Brazil (1978) was based on the book by Ira Levin, whos known for Rosemarys Baby and The Stepford Wives. It was helmed by the director of Planet of the Apes, Patton and Papillon. You could say its cut from the same cloth as The Odessa File and Marathon Man, just mixed with the weird horror elements for which Levin was known.

Beyond the high caliber cast, the creativity of the sc...