I first saw this on TV back in the mid 70&#39;s and it was definitely a story of the time, when WW2 was still in the forefront of many peoples minds. <br/><br/>Maybe not to the more modern taste, I&#39;ve always enjoyed this film. It has a feel of the Thirty Nine Steps about it.<br/><br/>Just before the outbreak of WW2, Peter O&#39;Tooles character fails in his revenge assassination attempt on Hitler. With the help of a sympathetic German, and English sailors, he escapes back to Britain and has to go on the run from the British and Nazi authorities who are both after him to return to Germany to answer for his &quot;crime&quot;. He goes into hiding in the country, drawing on his hunting experience, and waits to the outbreak of war when his assassination attempt is looked on in a completely different light by the British, who now see him as a potential asset.

I wasn&#39;t expecting much, and the horrendous VHS-to-DVD transfer didn&#39;t help matters, but the close following of screenplay to novel, and the perfect casting of O&#39;Toole as the vulnerable English aristocrat, makes this TV?!? adaptation a must see.<br/><br/>Much of the quality and suspense of the novel comes through, and the wordiness if you will of the script gave O&#39;Toole the freedom to express his character and the political-vs-personal tensions Household filled _Rogue Male_ with.<br/><br/>This must have been an English production, I can&#39;t imagine an American one including the racial characterizations, 30&#39;s political details, or the quick repartee.

Rogue Male is a superior chase film with a superb characterization by Peter O&#39;Toole, who occupies about 80% of the screen time. <br/><br/>Absolutely top-notch direction, cinematography, and editing and a respectable, not overlong, 103 minute running time. <br/><br/>It&#39;s a pity the DVDs have used such deteriorated source material. <br/><br/>The movie, if in perfect condition would be worth 10/10, as it is among the very best, however, as it is it is only worth about 7/10 because of the deterioration of the print.<br/><br/>If you get a chance to see Rogue Male, please do as it is worth it, even with the poor print.