Fritz Lang made this film in 1941, but the two versions are very different and compliment each other - none will spoil the other. Peter O'Toole's version is more actionlike, the dialogue is very much reduced and replaced by more credible action, while in the Fritz Lang version the dialogue is all, and there are many interesting conversations. Above all, the original film stresses the actual theme of the book, which is British sportsmanship, while this tends to get lost in the Peter O'Toole version. However, Peter is a much more suitable actor for the role than Walter Pidgeon, who is not quite convincing and certainly no hero. Peter makes a hero with terrible ordeals to go thorugh, while Walter is rather unscathed throughout. Peter is more convincing as an absolute gentleman, you can judge him for what he is just by his appearance, while Walter Pidgeon is a bit overgrown in maturity almost lijke a middle aged bore - his opponent George Sanders actually outshines him. Peter is also assisted by the incomparable Alastair Sim for his uncle, who still in his old age remains perfectly irresistible. Walter Pidgeon's uncle you forget at once.So although Fritz Lang's film has a better script, is more literary and more brilliantly composed, while Peter's suffers from bad TV quality and is action for large audiences, Peter's version is more efficient and credible, realistic and dramatic. It's a great story, who wouldn't have dreamed of assassinating Hitler in time if he had the chance, and no matter how much you depart from the original story, you can't make a bad film on it.

Kerrigan's plot summary above misses the point. I suppose since the code of gentlemen hunters is so ignored these days that even a "conservative" Governor Tim Pawlenty leaves a deer he shot to die in the woods so he can make a rubber chicken political lunch, one must understand this.But the point is precisely that Thorndike was making a stalk just as he told his interrogator, not attempting to assassinate Hitler. The challenge was being able to do it. Pulling the trigger was superfluous. The gun only went off because Thorndike got tackled by the SS men while sighting in with a round in the chamber.There seems no indication here of the fine Fritz Lang film in which George Sanders played a deliciously civilized monster Nazi interrogator and Walter Pidgeon played Thorndike.While it is always fun watching Peter O'Toole writhing in agony in another over the top performance... you might want to take a look at Man Hunt.

Very much a film from the times -- extremely long sequences with no dialogue, bad flashbacks, and an almost entirely male cast. The two women who appear have a total of under 10 lines and exist only as romantic interests for men.O'Toole is riveting whenever he speaks; unfortunately, he spends much of his time peering through shrubbery. Alastair Sims is always a joy to see but he, too, is terribly underused.The film has one additional positive aspect, in that it depicts many aspects of British fascism and fascist sympathies (such as the casual appearance of the Mosley graffiti) that many people today are unaware of. Too many of today's films about WWII paint the Allies as all-good and the Axis as all-evil, when history tells us people are far more complicated than that!This would be a good movie for when you're recovering from the flu and are bundled on the couch and not able to absorb anything too complex. If you just need something to pass the time while your electrolytes stabilize, this is the movie for you.

Unlike his protagonist, director Clive Donner's masterful tale hits its mark on all levels. In adapting the over 50 year-old novel (which I have not read), Donner takes Peter O'Toole through one of his most charming and ruthless roles. The views are taken on a journey into the depths of man's obsession with security and vengeance.Inspired by the death of his lover Rebecca, O'Toole hunts down the man he considers most responsible for her execution: Adolph Hitler. With World War II not yet reaching the shores of England, Hitler finds himself in the sights of O'Toole rifle. With a masterful shot of dark coffee flowing over a white tablecloth, the viewer realized that O'Toole has missed his shot, and his physical torture begins.In crafting a made-for-TV film, Donner was limited somewhat in the graphic nature of the presentation. But, he overcomes this by portraying the most shocking scenes (the extraction of O'Toole's fingernails and the death Major Quive-Smith) with a morbid sense of humor.The same humor is present in the short (but delightful) exchange between O'Toole and the great Alistair Sims. While Sims makes nothing more certain than he is turning his back on O'Toole, the manner in which he does this is exceptional to watch.Indeed, it is the sense of humor throughout the film that helps to propel the story. Rather that feel any emotional attachment for O'Toole, I was more interested in his manner of survival and escape. This emotional dis-attachment is the only reason I scored this film an 8. While I can accept the reason for his revenge, I think that in today's world, such a person would likely be labeled insane and hated by the general public.