THE EXECUTION

Loretta Swit, Sandy Dennis, Valerie Harper

THE EXECUTION (1985 telefilm). Director: Paul Wendkos.

In San Diego in 1970, several women who were survivors of the Birkenau concentration camp and who somehow met up with each other years later, get together each week to play mah jongg. Elsa (Sandy Dennis) spots a restaurant owner named Walter Grauman (Rip Torn of Sweet Bird of Youth) on a TV ad and is afraid that he may actually be Wilheim Gehbert, who raped and brutalized the women at Birkenau and was responsible for several thousand deaths. Marysia (Loretta Swit) agrees to find out if Walter has a certain scar on his back, and winds up sleeping with him when he doesn't. However, she is in for a rude awakening the next morning. The ladies decide that one of them will secretly murder Grauman, but things get complicated when an innocent man is arrested for the crime ...

Rip Torn with Loretta Swit

The Execution has an excellent premise but in its second half it becomes overly complicated, ignores points of law, and is almost sunk by its contrivances; even a final twist doesn't quite make up for the script deficiencies.  In fact, it becomes ridiculous at times. Loretta Swit, however, gives an outstanding performance, giving 150% to the role. The other ladies -- including Valerie Harper, Barbara Barrie and Jessica Walter  -- are good but a notch below Swit. Dennis indulges in her usual quirky all-tics-and-mannerisms acting style and is actually not that compelling. Of the male actors, Torn gives a good if second-rate performance, although Alan Miller and Peter White are fine as two of the spouses. Paul Wendkos also directed theatrical films such as The Burglar.

Verdict: No one expected Judgment at Nuremberg, but a film with this premise should have been much, much, more powerful -- Swit can not be faulted, however. **3/4.