Lukewarm

Rating: 6/10 (14 March 2013)

Hitchcock loved confined movies and he already proved it in 1944, with this singular movie that takes place in the middle of the WWII.
The bet -situating all the action on a lifeboat- was tough but one must admit the Englishman made it through pretty well, not excelling however. The movie alternates between interesting passages and less exciting scenes, which makes the ensemble quite uneven and sometimes a bit long. The characters also suffer from a certain heterogeneity, still the group works pretty well and their twists and turns are enjoyable, though sometimes not very realistic. But the most disappointing aspect is the end, not particularly well thought-out and really too abrupt.
One could also debate the propagandist impact of Lifeboat and Hitchcock's approach, some dialogues strongly echoing in the historical context of the period.