The Holcroft Covenant (1985) feels a little late to the post WWII Nazi Comeback
Party genre of films and books that there had been a spate of earlier on.
There are loads of books written in which Nazi's who escaped the ravages
of WWII or their descendants try and bring back the Fourth Reich, including
Robert Ludlum's The Holcroft Covenant in 1978. A few other films that come
to mind about insane ex-nazis are The Boys from Brazil, The Quiller Memorandum,
Marathon Man and The Odessa File and lots I am forgetting about I am sure.
Why this held so much fascination for popular culture decades after the end
of the war I am not sure, but even in the middle of the Cold War the Nazi's
felt like the biggest boogeyman in history. And constant conspiratorial thinking
that Hitler and some of his henchmen escaped and were still alive fed into
this.
Frankenheimer directs this during his alcoholic phase which might explain
why it feels so confusing at times with various people both trying to kill
Holcroft (Michael Caine) and save his life. Holcroft has received the good
news that he will head a fund of $4 billion dollars that dear dad left for
him many years before. Dear dad was unfortunately a Nazi who took his own
life but who wants to make amends for his evil deeds. Or so he says in a
letter. Two other sons of dead Nazis are also on the board and one of them
has a very pretty sister (Victoria Tennant) who does her best to bed Holcroft.
So $4 billion and Victoria Tennant - not a bad deal. But clearly something
is amiss because people keep dying around him.
Not a bad film really but much of it feels fairly obvious to the viewer as
Caine flails about as the innocent idiot who at one point - knowing that
he is a target - decides to take a stroll into an erotic parade holding his
girl's hand like a teenager in love - in order I expect so that the audience
could see some naked breasts. One movie rule - Michael Caine is always worth
your time.
