The Master Plan

Cy Endfield, known for directing films like HELL'S DRIVERS, JET STORM and ZULU, to mention only those that I have watched, and of many B pics and also duds in the final segment of his directorial career. Does a fine job with THE MASTER PLAN, a B picture that keeps it simple.

The few frills script focuses on Maj. Tom Brent (Wayne Morris), who has been brainwashed by a foreign power into photographing documents and passing them to a spy network.

Thankfully, Col. Cleaver (well played by Norman Wooland) smells a rat and springs a trap. To that end, he is assisted by strikingly beautiful secretary Ms Grey (Mary MacKenzie), and perceptive Gen. Goulding (Arnold Bell). His love interest is Tilda Thamar.

Credible characters and dialogue, above average photography, and savvy editing by Jim Connock all help raise THE MASTER PLAN to the level of entertaining espionage noir.

Definitely worth watching - and even rewatching. 7/10.

More often than not there are minor obscure films without film stars but with long forgotten actors who act better than any established film star. This film is one of them, an early espionage thriller far ahead of its time including no dashing spies but some very beautiful young French ladies, one of them being sharper than anyone could suspect, least of all his fiancé who is about to marry her. How is it that the leading men in so many thrillers never think of the old cliché phrase "cherchez la femme", while they constantly get trapped in that notoriously common pitfall. Here an American veteran is engaged for a routine job in a security office with branches in Rome and Vienna, and all he has to do is to study some files, but one night in Vienna he gets into trouble which he can't get out of, as he is taken advantage of in a brutal way by foreign agents who are interested in the files he is investigating. He is surrounded by three beautiful young girls, one is his secretary who in spite of certain callousness proves reliable indeed, and then there is his employer's girl friend and her equally charming friend. When misfortune strikes they are honestly concerned, but it is a very tricky intrigue where nothing becomes evident until in the end, and the matter is dealt with delicately in spite of all. It is almost better than John le Carré. Norman Wooland makes an excellent performance as Wayne Morris' employer, and the girls are all wonderfully charming. The intrigue is surreptitiously clever in all its crafty deceitfulness, so you must admire the author of the play.

US Army officer Wayne Morris is assigned to a joint British-American research facility in Germany. Colonel Norman Wooland explains why he is there: there's a leak from inside, and they haven't a clu as to who is doing it. Morris settles down to work, but are those spells of staring off into the distance indicative of something dire going on?

Gosh, I wonder who the bad guys really are. Actually, I don't. When this movie came out, Cold War paranoia was at its peak, and this takes advantage of that, to bring in evil doctors drugging loyal Americans with things that will make them obey their orders like zombies. Cy Endfield was usually a reliable director, but it might have served the movie better had he told Wooland to tone it down, and suggested that one or two of the ladies not be such ninnies.

Wayne Morris was a war hero but sadly his career suffered as a result.He became a supporting player in A films,a cowboy star and a leading player for British films.Though in this film he is definitely a secondary lead.There is very little action apart from a 5 minute spell in the middle.Morris is not on screen for most of the second half of the film.Dull and lacklustre and obviously made on a small budget.

Early, Tense, Suspenseful and Ahead-of-its-Time.

Extremely Low-Budget and Confined.

But the Claustrophobic Sets and Setting Add to the Taut and Unusual, for its Time, Psychological Thriller.

An Enemy's Successful Mind-Control of a Military Officer.

"Manchurian Candidate" (1962) Themed Story about an American Major sent to England to Help with Counter-Espionage.

Well Acted All Around, and Considering the Clandestine and Mysterious and Not Well Known Psychological Warfare,

it Manages to be Believable about Ground-Breaking Stuff.

In a Passing Statement by a Fellow Officer there is a Reference to His Returning from the "Korean-Conflict".

This Places the Story in Korea and Not WWII and that in Itself is Unusual for 1954, and so Close to that Military Activity.

Off-Beat, Against-the-Grain War Story.

Showing the Effect of a "New" Method of POW Interrogation, Torture, and Result.

Most Civilians, at the Time were Completely Oblivious.

Although the Movie Jumps Right In to All of this with Little Explanation and Background.

Suffering from its Low-Budget and Short Running Time.

It Still Manages to Pack Quite a Wallop.

The Film has been in Obscurity and Lost in the Shuffle.

Among the Numerous Movies that the British-Studios Pumped-Out.

These 60 min. Or so Little Films were Made Quickly and were a Never-Ending Plethora of B&W Pictures of the Era.

This One is a Sleeper that Stands-Out and Deserves Discovery.

Note...Director Cy Enfield, a victim of the McCarthy Era Blacklist used the Pseudonym Hugh Baker in the Film's initial release.