Rogue Male (1976)

Just don't watch this...

... if you have read and love the book. All the psychology has been removed. Imagine reading the book with all the first person parts removed. Yes, it really is that bad.

Vapid, terrible adaption of the original story. June 12, 2007

O"Toole is the master.

O'Toole gives a weak plot life, his ability to make one believe in his character makes this a worthy project. February 7, 2007

Peter O'Toole at any price....

...but at $3.95, you can't miss.

OK, at times the sound is muffled, the color washes out, there's a bit of streakiness, the picture seems to shake, and it has the appearance of the usual low budget film. BUT, the movie is absolutely riveting and the flaws are minor distractions. I watched it then had to watch it again.

Not the typical commando-trained man on the run flick, as in The Bourne Identity, but a slower paced, perhaps more thoughtful type of story. Sir Robert (O'Toole)goes to ground while being pursued after failing to assassinate Hitler and being tortured then escaping. We see his determination and ingenuity (again, not the usual Hollywood sort of stunts), but also the man he is.

I did not catch on to the reason why he went after Hitler until later in the movie, so disagree with an earlier viewer. However, I've not read the book before seeing the movie. There are hints about what happened and when I realized what had occured, it increased the tension, rather than ruining the end for me.

John Standing is terrific as the pursuer, Harold Pinter has a nice scene, Alistair Sim plays the doddering uncle well, but it is Peter O'Toole who makes the movie.

O'Toole is excellent at dry humor and getting across a page of dialog with just a look. There's a wealth of both in Rogue Male.

It's a shame this movie is not better visually and does not get much notice among O'Toole's works. It is, however, a movie that will keep you guessing about what will happen and is well worth a look. In a recent interview, O'Toole said Rogue Male was his favorite movie and it is easy to see why.


For parents: Since I have kids and do not trust the ratings system (and Rogue Male is unrated), I appreciate reviews that note what might be objectionable for kids.

Rogue Male is intense at times and shows Sir Robert being tortured- blood on his face and facial expressions during 2 incidents. There's a couple other violent moments- nothing very graphic or worse than what they've seen on TV. Teens might find it a bit slow, but interesting. Not for kids under 13. May 29, 2005

Poor quality DVD, but acceptable for the price.

The DVD has no closed captions or subtitles, and they're needed due to the poor quality of the sound track. Actually, the DVD appears to have been manufactured reasonable well, and its poor quality is due to its source material. The original film was obviously not a master and shows wear from use and poor storage.

Still, the quality is acceptable enough for me to keep it rather than return it for a refund. August 18, 2004

They Shouldn't Have Messed With The Book

The novel, by Geoffrey Household, is well-paced and builds to a satisfying climax based on profound revelations. The movie pushes those revelations to the beginning, which robs the main character of his motivation to swing into action at the end. I enjoyed the movie to a point, but this is one of those cases where the film makers would have done better to stay more consistent with the book. March 10, 2004

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