Excellent adaptation.

best movie i've ever seen.

Instead, you get a movie that's enjoyable enough, but leaves you feeling like it could have been much, much more.

It's a good bad... and worth a popcorn matinée. While it's easy to lament what could have been...

This isn't really very good, but is nevertheless a historically fascinating film that needs to be seen to be believed; if only for the incredible ending, which is no more far-fetched than that dreamed up by Quentin Tarantino for 'Inglorious Basterds'. The previous year Geoffrey Household's pre-war novel about stalking Hitler, 'Rogue Male', had already been filmed by Fritz Lang as 'Man Hunt', and I had settled down to this expecting another piece of crass hokum like 'Desperate Journey' with Errol Flynn, which had recently treated killing Nazis as a bit of a lark. At first it seems as if we're in for more of the same, but the tone darkens considerably as the film progresses, with obvious references to the massacre of civilians at Lidice the previous spring. Despite being warned that in Germany they speak German, this proves not to be the case; and absurd inaccuracies like the claim that Hitler grew his moustache to cover a scar acquired in a Bavarian brawl in the early 20's (presumably the First World War photographs of Corporal Hitler sporting an enormous Kaiser Wilhelm moustache were less familiar to the American public at the time of the Second World War) nestle side by side with depictions of cozy confinement in Dachau and children going before a firing squad that would seem offensive in a mere 'Z' budget quickie were the serious intentions of the film's makers to bring in under the radar a passionate piece of anti-Nazi propaganda under the guise of a simple minded action movie not increasingly evident. All the actors give of their best, and Ward Bond in particular grows in the lead and when he later disguises himself with a moustache to look older, he bears a remarkable resemblance to how he actually did look in his later years. All in all it compares favourably with 'The Dirty Dozen' and 'Inglorious Basterds' on a fraction of the budget.

Three mobsters fresh out of Alcatraz, where they served eleven years for income tax evasion, take a wealthy industrialist up on his offer to ice Adolf Hitler for a cool million bucks. "White Bondage" director Nick Grinde and a stalwart cast headed up by Ward Bond combine chuckles with cringes in this outlandish World War II thriller. Scenarists Karl Brown of "White Legion" and Steve Neuman of "The Hoodlum" have a blast ridiculing the Nazis as these jailbirds field one lucky break after another. Hollywood made its share of propaganda potboilers during World War II to bolster morale at home and paint a portrait of America as a bastion of democracy to the world abroad. Naturally, nothing about "Hitler: Dead or Alive" is remotely credible, but it is fun to watch. The Office of War Information objected to wartime melodramas like "Hitler: Dead or Alive" because they contained more fiction than fact. Typically, the Nazis were depicted as morons who were as easy to knock over as tenpins in a bowling alley.When Steve Maschick (Ward Bond of "The Searchers"), Joe 'The Book' Conway (Paul Fix of "Red River") and Hans 'Dutch' Havermann (Warren Hymer of "Police Bullets") meet Samuel Thornton (Russell Hicks of "Scarlet Street"), they cannot malinger because the local police have given them 24 hours to clear out of town. They want to take Thornton up on his deal to knock off the Führer. Basically, Thornton wants Hitler dead because the Gestapo murdered his brother while he was serving as an exchange professor in Germany. Thornton's attorney draws up a contract for Steve and company, and they enlist in the Royal Canadian Air Force, cross the Atlantic in a convoy, and train as paratroopers in England. Later, they commandeer a transport plane and compel the pilot, Johnny Stevens (Bruce Edwards of "Bombardier"), to fly them to Germany. When an enemy fighter attacks them, Steve shoots the German plane down with his tommy gun. Reluctantly, Stevens has to bail out with Steve and his stooges, and they figure that they are 200 west miles of Berlin.Our intrepid heroes steal a Nazi transport truck. No sooner have they stolen the truck than the Gestapo stop them. Joe and Steve explain that they have just flown from England and must see somebody-in-charge. The cretinous Gestapo officer agrees to top off their gas tank, get them some grub, and escort them to headquarters. The Gestapo take them to Dachau. Camp commandant Colonel Hecht (Felix Basch of "None Shall Escape") refuses to believe their story about a secret message for Hitler. Hecht places them under protective custody in a cell until morning. It doesn't take Steve long to locate a hidden microphone in their cell. The commandant confides in his girlfriend, Countess Else von Brandt (Dorothy Tree of "The Asphalt Jungle"), that he wants to obtain the message so he can deliver it personally to Hitler. She convinces Hecht to let them carry out their mission. As it turns out, Else is none other than a notorious anti-Axis resistance leader code-named 'Rosebud' hiding out in Germany. She has an Ace of Spades poker card slipped in with their meals with instructions. Our heroes break out of Dachau, masquerade as Nazis, and steal a car with Else in it. During their flight for freedom, Dutch is crouched on the running board when the sentries kill him. Steve and company manage to breakout. Else leaves them in the woods and arranges for another resistance agent to help them. She returns to Dachau and tells Hecht that the Americans terrorized her. Hecht and his troops examine Dutch's body and find that the Americans have come to the Fatherland to murder Hitler for a million dollars.Later, Else meets Steve, Joe, and Stevens in a cellar at her estate. Steve reveals his designs to kill Hitler. Naturally, Else is skeptical about Steve's chances of rubbing out the Führer. Moreover, she believes that slaying Hitler will not stop the war because his generals would continue fighting. The following morning our heroes learn that Meyer (Frederick Giermann of "Hotel Berlin"), the guy who guided them to the cellar, once knew Hitler. Meyer tells them about how he saved Hitler's life after the future Führer was beaten up in Munich. Hitler's assailants carved him up broken beer bottles and left a permanent scar on his upper lip. Hitler grew his Charlie Chaplin mustache to conceal the scar. Steve assures his pals now he will not be fooled when he gets his hands on Hitler. Upstairs, Hecht shows up with troops at Else's house to search the premises for the escapees. During the search, Steve eavesdrops on Hecht as he talks about how Hitler will kill children in reprisal for attempts on his life. Finally, Steve's patriotic impulses trump his mercenary ones. Anyway, Hecht looks forward to his date with Else at a party thrown for Hitler. The Nazi High Command invites Else, and she insists her own personal orchestra accommodate her.Hitler (Bobby Watson) shows up during the final quarter hour for a dance at his headquarters with Steve and company masquerading as musicians. Everything go awry, but Steve abducts Hitler. He shaves Hitler's mustache to be sure he has the dictator. When Hecht's men captures Steve, Hitler, and the others, they refuse to believe that Hitler is who he claims to be. In route to the firing squad, Hitler pleads for mercy and runs. Hecht shoots him in the back. They line up Steve and Meyer and kill them. The action concludes with Thornton telling two newspaper reporters that it was unrealistic of his part to believe that killing Hitler would end the war.The last four minutes of "Hitler: Dead Or Alive" bristles with patriotic speeches. Mind you, it is doubtful the Royal Canadian Air Force would have let ex-convicts like Maschick, Conway, and Havermann join up. Nevertheless, logic has little to do with this kind of fantasy.

This film has been reviewed many times already by other watchers, and I will not add a recap to the plot as that has already been done. This is a film made in 1942, mere months after the United States entered Wolrd War II. This film is a prime example of American propaganda. And yes, America did make Propaganda films just as Germany and Japan did, its just harder to see an American propaganda film.The plot is somewhat silly, the Nazis are portrayed as buffoons (but honestly who would want to see a film with clever Nazis anyway?), and the film today does not hold up well. But the honesty of the performance of Ward Bond, an actor who is best known for his Western roles is worth watching. Yes, the Nazis are seen murdering innocent children, and Ward Bond does give a heartfelt speech that he manages to choke out even though he is shot and dying, but this film is American propaganda, and is a very interesting piece of what patriotic movie making was like in 1942. Silly, yes, by todays standards, but if you watched this film in 1942 while the war was going on, you would not have felt the film was silly, but hopeful.

Reportedly, in April 1865, upon hearing the dreadful news from Washington, D.C., Benjamin Disraeli made the comment that "Assassination has never changed history!". A brave statement, but dubious. Lincoln's murder took a first rate political mind and spirit out of an office that needed him, and put in a misguided, ill prepared man with some sense of his office's importance. The result was that Lincoln's hope to restore the Union with a benign peace was wrecked by the inept President Andrew Johnson and the Radical Republican Congress which sought a harsher peace on the South. John Wilkes Booth had changed history indeed.Same happened in 44 B.C. when Julius Caesar was killed. Same happened in 1914 when Archduke Franz Ferdinand was killed and World War I broke out. Assassination does effect history.In 1942 two Czech patriots were parachuted into their homeland to carry out a mission. They did - they killed Reinhart Heydrich, the "Hangman" "Protector" of Bohemia, and creator of the Final Solution. Heydrich was in a car that was blown up, and it is pleasant to announced that the creep actually died from being skewered by eight heavy springs in the seat that he was seated in - it took him over a week to die. Given his involvement in the Holacaust and other atrocities, one can only say he died the way he deserved. Unfortunately, the Germans destroyed two villages, and killed hundreds of people in retaliation. Because of that the Allies did not carry out any other assassination plots in Europe against Nazis.But the notion of killing Nazi leaders was instilled in the air, and I think that is why this film was made soon after. To Americans Heydrich was vaguely known (after the destruction of Lidice and the other village interest in the "Hangman" led to two films being made: Fritz Lang's HANGMEN ALSO DIE and Douglas Sirk's HITLER'S MADMAN). HITLER, DEAD OR ALIVE is not a good film - it is really rather stupid. The idea of hiring three American criminals to kill Der Fuhrer is outlandish. But to be fair, this idea of criminals fighting the good fight against Nazis was fairly common in Hollywood films. Nazis never fought fairly, so we needed someone who also fought unfairly. Witness Humphrey Bogart and his co-horts in ALL THROUGH THE NIGHT (against Conrad Veidt) or Alan Ladd in THIS GUN FOR HIRE (admittedly against traitors working for Japan, not Germany) or LUCKY JORDAN. Still, if you want to kill the most vicious government leader in history, why use three gunman instead of working out a plan with the government. So if you have problems with this, you will have problems with the entire film.The only thing I liked about this movie was when Bobs Watson (as Hitler) makes a comment to a cohort that he eventually plans to doublecross Mussolini. Perhaps it might have happened sooner or later, but Der Fuhrer actually had a high regard for Il Duce, and later in the war sent his leading special agent, Otto Skorzeny, into Italy to rescue the imprisoned ex-head of the government. Still it was amusing to hear that. Otherwise, the film was a total wash-out.