The Night of the Generals (1967)

“What happens? Well, justice is blind, my dear Inspector. Justice cannot see the red stripe or the gold braid, but justice can sometimes hear the cry of a murdered woman. ” – Major Grau

Number of Times Seen – 1 (29 Dec 2015)

Brief Synopsis – A German Intelligence Officer tries to find the murderer of a Polish prostitute during WWII.  The problem is that the 3 main suspects are all High ranking German Generals.

My Take on it – I came across this movie a few weeks ago and despite never hearing of it before, I was very intrigued by the somewhat unique premise.

The idea to have a Nazi officer investigate a murder during wartime and try to find justice for the victim even when the main suspects are his superiors just worked so well for me.

The cast is superb.

Peter O’Toole, Tom Courtney, Donald Pleasance and Joanna Pettet have some very complex but intriguing characters to play, but Omar Sharif steals every scene he is in as the investigator, Major Grau.

His character is so likable because he shows his integrity and duty to the victim no matter the situation.

The idea to conduct a murder investigation during a war might seem somewhat idiotic or even oxymoronic if you think about it, but they explain it quite well why it is so important for the victim to get justice even in these kind of circumstances.

This is based on an award winning novel and there are a few scenes that feel like they were not adapted properly because on paper they can be explained much easier than onscreen.

Bottom Line – Really liked the idea of this movie. Amazing cast does it all perfectly especially Sharif. The book is probably better because the film drags a bit in places that could possibly have been explained better in words.  The idea to have a murder investigation during a war is ingenious because it seems oxymoronic, but is explained so well here as to why it is being done. Highly Recommended!

MovieRob’s Favorite Trivia – Donald Pleasence, Nigel Stock and Gordon Jackson all star as German soldiers in this film, which was shot just a few years after The Great Escape (1963) in which the same three played British prisoners plotting to escape from a German POW camp. (From IMDB)

Rating – Oscar Worthy

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