The Odessa File
A freelance journalist’s search for a fugitive S.S. commander draws him into O.D.E.S.S.A.’s postwar conspiracy and a deeply personal reckoning.
Ember's analysis
- Pacing
- Measured
- Intensity
- Strong
- Complexity
- Layered
- Violence
- Mild
- methodical
- paranoid
- grim
- historical thriller night
- political suspense marathon
What critics said
Critics broadly regard it as a serious but predictable political thriller whose historical subject matter and performances are stronger than its pacing.
What sets it apart
May contain story progression spoilers
Peter Miller investigates former S.S. Captain Eduard Roschmann and the organized O.D.E.S.S.A. network.
Miller’s probe into Roschmann and O.D.E.S.S.A. ultimately connects to his own family.
The investigation focuses on concentration-camp crimes, war criminals, and the failure to leave Nazi history behind.
The film follows journalistic probing, intelligence contacts, and successive discoveries in an academic, deliberate register.
Films like The Odessa File, and why
Marathon Man
political espionage, postwar Nazi conspiracies, and methodical investigative suspense
The Boys from Brazil
historical crime investigation, Holocaust trauma, and morally driven pursuit
The Day of the Jackal
international espionage, war-crimes intrigue, and paranoid thriller atmosphere
Movie Details
- Director
- Ronald Neame
- Release Date
- 1974-10-17
- Runtime
- 130 min
- Rating
- 6.6 / 10 (206)
Cast
- Jon Voight
- Maximilian Schell
- Maria Schell
- Mary Tamm
- Derek Jacobi
- Peter Jeffrey
- Klaus Löwitsch
- Kurt Meisel
- Hannes Messemer
- Garfield Morgan
Where to watch in United States
- Streaming
- fuboTV, History Vault, Howdy Amazon Channel
- Rent
- Amazon Video, Apple TV Store, Google Play Movies, YouTube, Fandango At Home
- Buy
- Amazon Video, Apple TV Store, Google Play Movies, YouTube, Fandango At Home
Streaming options come from TMDB and change over time.
Common questions
- What is The Odessa File about?
- A freelance journalist’s search for a fugitive S.S. commander draws him into O.D.E.S.S.A.’s postwar conspiracy and a deeply personal reckoning.
- What is The Odessa File like to watch?
- Ember's analysis rates the pacing of The Odessa File as measured, its intensity as strong and its storytelling as layered.
- Is The Odessa File violent?
- Only mildly. Ember rates the violence in The Odessa File as mild.
- What did critics think of The Odessa File?
- Critics broadly regard it as a serious but predictable political thriller whose historical subject matter and performances are stronger than its pacing.
- Which films are like The Odessa File?
- Films with a similar feel include Marathon Man, The Boys from Brazil, and The Day of the Jackal.
- How long is The Odessa File?
- The Odessa File runs 130 minutes.
- Where can I watch The Odessa File?
- In United States, The Odessa File streams on fuboTV, History Vault, Howdy Amazon Channel.
