Clearly not meant to be taken seriously, but still a fun ride delivered by Hitchcock

Rating: 7/10 (19 July 2005)

When a film is made while the country is involved in a World War, it's hard for it to come out entirely unbiased... though I suppose this film also reveals quite a lot about Hitchcock's own sensibilities. The whole film has a tone of democracy and 'united we stand', but it's fairly nicely buried in the interesting plot and the entertaining action. The film is obviously not meant to be taken seriously - with the exception of one very intense monologue by the lead - but it is thoroughly very entertaining. As soon as you accept that Alfred made this for fun, you'll love just about every second of it. The heroes are incredibly lucky at times, getting out of situations in the most unrealistic ways, by the most unlikely means. The high pace and energy of the film is kept through many sudden, unexpected occurrences. Just about every time you think everything is fine, that the lead is safe, something happens. In best Hitchcock fashion, several of the occurrences are very suspenseful. The plot is fairly well-written, and it evolves throughout the whole film, never standing still. The pacing is very good, something is constantly happening. The characters are well-written and credible. Many of them very likable, too. Particularly an elderly blind man encountered early in the film. The acting is top-notch. The dialog is quite well-written and equally well-delivered. All in all, a very entertaining and early Hitchcock piece, though the propaganda-like undertones of pro-democracy can be a bit of a pain to sit through. I recommend this to any fan of Hitchcock. 7/10