The Execution

This is a rare movie for me, in that even a brain-dead klutz like me was always able to stay five minutes ahead of what was on the screen for pretty well the entire movie. The reasonably well-known names who starred in it were unable to make this more than a 'B' grade movie. It's a bit difficult to find drama let alone empathy when the whole thing is so predictable.

Survivors of a Nazi concentration camp discover the doctor who experimented on them in their youth, living nearby. The five women conspire to get their revenge, but the scheme to kill him is thrown together like their weekly mahjongg game. This leaves the remainder of the film unbelievably convoluted, with Lifetime Channel type marriage complications, and atrocious European accents. The entire movie sinks as the emotional subject is trivialized by the simplistic execution of their plan, followed by a conclusion of unbelievable coincidences. The only redeeming factors are a blue 55 Thunderbird driven buy Loretta Swit, and the presence of Michael Lerner, who, without a fake accent, comes across as the only genuine character in the entire film. - MERK

It could have been a lot better. The basic premise had potential. Five women who survived a Nazi concentration camp discover that the camp's commander is now living in Los Angeles and they set out to take their own revenge on him by killing him and facing the consequences as a group by all confessing to the murder. A lot could have been done with that story, but a lot wasn't done with it - or, a lot that was done with it didn't really work. The cast was OK. There were a lot of small screen veterans (Loretta Swit, Valerie Harper, Barbara Barrie among others) so the faces are familiar, although they could have done a better job with the fake accents. The development of the plan is a bit convoluted, and apparently takes place between rounds of a weekly mahjong game that the five play. I could believe the problems that the plot caused on the women's marriages, although thought there was maybe a bit too much focus on that particular issue, and it made this perhaps a bit too "soap-ish." The ending of the movie came as a bit of a surprise, although perhaps it was too contrived. In the end, the basic point here seemed to be that revenge doesn't really satisfy. The women got their revenge, but in the end seemed to acknowledge that they were still trapped in the horrors of their past. That was a decent philosophical reflection on revenge.

8 for good to great.

Borderline incredulous plot that is decently handled in a semi-realistic legal manner regarding conspiracy to murder.

Sandy Dennis, Loretta Swit, et al were fabulous. The group's accents might get some "getting used to".

I think that some of the reviews are fair but also harsh in that one has to keep in mind that this is an old TV made movie wherein back in the mid 80's on TV no less they were limited to how much they could do and show with families watching and it felt like it was more of a movie for/about Women as if made for the Lifetime channel.

Youtube has two old TV ad Trailers for this movie showing all the actresses

I saw this movie as a teenager, mainly for Valerie Harper, I loved everything she did :) and I love character actresses, so this was a feast of talent for me to appreciate. Granted the story was a bit weak and the accents? not so good but I most certainly did get caught up in the emotional pain and suffering that they were reliving from their past and how it was wrecking their lives as adults, but as Women do, they drew strength and support from each other.

I think it also has historical value esp. if one's past relatives were survivors of the camps because the Nazi experiments on young Women, Jewish, Gypsy and on twins is not as well known still to a lot of people.

So if you are a TV fan of character actresses and or a Jewish person then I think that you will appreciate this TV made movie for what it is but don't judge it by today's standards.

OT actor Leonard Nimoy and Blythe Danner had also acted in a post Holocaust survivor TV made movie that was very good as well.