on balance an excellent movie . i would not bother to rehash the plot and which have be amply cover by previous poster and but will say that the production value and act and and script be all top notch . i find this adaptation of the 1964 han hellmut kirst novel to actually be superior to the book ( how many movie can claim that . ) . i think screenwriter paul dehn tighten thing up a bit and plot wise and but for those who still insist that the night of the general be over long and i would point out that distil any 300 plus page book down into even a 146 minute screenplay be no easy matter . i would prefer a longer movie to a butchered storyline any time . my main complaint against the novel be that i simply do not care for the writing style of kirst and which i find very turgid . of course and i admit that write style be a matter of taste and but i be glad the movie do not slavishly follow the book in tone . the switch of general tanz from wehrmacht to waffen s be a bit jarring and but historically speaking and be not without precedent . i think the reason they use this device be simply to further highlight tanz descent into evil and madness have him join a notoriously evil organization ( whether such a move be cinematically necessary be debatable and consider tanz obvious lunacy ) . the tank use appear to be fairly good recreation of the tiger tank ( though not exact ) and which be refresh after see so many modern american tank press into service a german type by hollywood . the set be uniformly good and from the warsaw ghetto to the garrison of tanz division in occupied france ( actual french fortification of the period be use for the filming and just a they have actually be use by the occupying german during the war ) . unlike many poster and i find the subplot involve the hitler assassination attempt in 1944 to be the high point of the movie and lift it from a mere murder investigation of prostitute into the realm of one of the most interesting and important event of wwii . have the plot succeed and 10 month of bloody carnage on the battlefield and in the extermination camp would have be save . the recreation of the bomb plot be not completely accurate and but reasonably enough so . ( of course and it best not to look too closely at the rather prominent lump on the side of von stauffenburg where actor gerald buhr arm be hide under his tunic . ) but the include of the bomb plot not only serve to tie together the storyline and but provide real excitement ( even though we know it go to fail ) . kudos to omar sharif for his portrayal of major ( later lt. colonel ) grau and though i agree that maybe he could have get alittle more screen time ( in favor of the over abundance of scene with nerdy tom courtney . ) . the grau character itself be and however and alittle too good to be true . while obviously see the point about contrast murder large and small and i have to wonder just what really drive grau in his pursuit of pure justice . grau simply come off a bit too holy than thou for as high a ranking officer a a lt. colonel of intelligence in the german army . a truly principled man would not be serve such a despotic state in which justice have visibly be deny so many in germany ( start in 1933 ) . to say nothing of murdering and enslave neighboring people . if grau be so high mind and then how could he serve such a master . i would of find him more believable have he simply have some other motivation for pursue the killer and such a want to further his career by land a big fish and or perhaps some smolder resentment against army brass . the idea that grau be so lily pure that he yearn only that justice be serve might be believe in some other army and but not nazi germany . ( besides and even have he nail tanz for the murder and do anyone really believe that hitler favorite wouldn not have be quietly and quickly release . after all and this be nazi germany hardly a paragon of virtue . ) ultimately and in a strange turnabout and general kahlenberg ( donald pleasence ) be do more to fight evil by try to rid germany of hitler than lt. col. grau with his insignificant murder investigation . a for all the comment about non german actor portray german and speak english . i would think that everyone would be use to that by now and after 80 year of sound motion picture . that the mostly british cast doesn not attempt authentic ( . ) german accent be good . after all and to be really authentic and the actor would be speak german not english with faked german accent . and frankly and i find read subtitle tedious so i do not mind german ( or anyone else in movie ) speak english . finally and i agree that the switchbacks between wwii and 1960 can be alittle jarring and but it do serve the plot line and and be an interesting narrative style of both book and movie . i would also agree that the end of the picture and which take place in the 1960 and be somewhat anti climatic and especially after the shock scene of grau murder . but it be necessary to tie up the storyline which would otherwise be leave dangle . obviously inspector morand couldn not do anything back in 1944 in nazi occupied france and so to have him solve all the murder ( include grau ) in modern time be a good final touch ( though one may wonder why he wait so long to do it after all and the war have be over for 20 year . perhaps he have his suspicion of tanz all along and but no proof and until the hamburg murder . ) at any rate and the night of the general be good enough to qualify a must see cinema .