Missão Perigosa em Trieste

I SAW THIS MOVIE IN THE 50s, but I remember that it was well played by Tyrone Power and Hildegarde Neff, with solid direction and good B&W photography.Charles Bronson ( uncredited ), had only a few seconds on the screen, but I remember vividly that he made a tremendous impression, and I was sure he would attain stardom.

In the Cold War, Mike Kells (Tyrone Power) is a courier, who has the mission to meet his friend Sam Carew (James Millican) in a train in Europe and bring some documents back to Washington. However, Sam is killed in the train, and Mike finds a hint in his pocket, indicating he should go to Trieste to find Janine (Hildegard Knef), the last contact of Sam before he dies. Meanwhile, Joan Ross (Patricia Neal), an American widow that Mike met in the plane, shows a great interest in Mike. Mike does not know, but he is used by American government as a bait. This movie has aged a lot, by remains very attractive. The story, full of plot points, is still very good. In Brazil, it is only available on cable television. The DVD and the VHS have not been released. My vote is seven

Title (Brazil): `Missão Perigosa em Trieste' (`Dangerous Mission in Trieste')

Tyrone Power is a diplomatic courier for the US State Department who gets into more trouble than he bargained for.

Always a very good if under-rated actor,in "Diplomatic Courier" Tyrone Power shows a tough shrewdness that's more gritty private eye than State Department protocol calls for.

The movie, in beautifully photographed black-and-white, never lets up its rapid pace. It's the sort of impeccably produced Hollywood movie that is absolutely professional, from the smart direction of Henry Hathaway to the breathtaking cinematography by Lucien Ballard.

As a diplomatic courier, Power thinks himself as just "a postman." But when he's called upon to make a special delivery, things begin happening and fast.

For starters, he finds himself in the sights of not one, but two beautiful women --{Patricia Neal and Hildegard Neff -- who both deliver terrific and intelligent performances.)

Much of the action takes place on one of those international trains equipped with piercing air horns and whistles, with lots of hopping between compartments. There is also the requisite plush hotel and nightclub with a weird variety act, and packs of sinister Eastern European-accented characters up to no good.

With all of this, there is a marvelous bonus: four future stars appear in "Diplomatic Courier," and you might want to look for them: Michael Ansara...Charles Bronson... Lee Marvin ... and Karl Malden. Bronson, Ansara and Marvin have tiny roles -- Bronson (Buchinsky here) and Ansara are in and out in seconds -- but Karl Malden actually steals the movie as a Sgt. Bilko-type US Army non-com who knows the ropes.

In all, "Diplomatic Courier" is a nice surprise, especially if you like to watch for new stars on the horizon.

As my summary suggests, I was taken aback by H. Neff's moving portrayal as the double agent in post-war Trieste. No gussied-up over emoting from her, just honest, gut-wrenching outpouring of uncontrived emotion delivered with articulation and intensity. When watching her explain herself to Mr. Power and others, I actually felt she must have been an agent in real life at some point. Those tears she shed while she delivered her rationale for her actions were the genuine type, not some Hollywood "tear-squirting" job. Why she never became a more sought-after actor, I'll never know. Maybe she was a little too deep and maybe too foreign for the superficially driven 1950's Hollywood system. Also impressive was Patricia Neal's interpretation of her femme fatale role.

Also, I'll take exception to those who criticized T. Power's role. As I see it, he excelled in his performance as a world-weary, cynical Cold War courier. What do people expect? A rerun as a younger, pseudo-swashbuckling Caribbean pirate? I for one am glad he took a less glamorous and more substantive role such as this.

On a somewhat sentimental note, it was nice to see some cameo-ish work from Lee Marvin, Michael Ansara and Chuck Buchinski (Bronson!) before their careers took off in the ensuing years. It made the film more fun to watch!

Tyrone Power plays a diplomatic courier called out on a special assignment which seems fairly simple: pick up some documents from an agent and take them to Washington. But of course, in a film like this, things don't work out right the first time. The "drop" doesn't go according to plan, so Power has to improvise, surrounded by an increasing number of characters whose loyalties are questionable. A couple of femmes fatales, a cross-dressing night club entertainer, some MPs, and the obligatory little bald pawnshop owner all liven up the plot, with plenty of twists en route to the finale.

The influence of THE THIRD MAN is clear, with plenty of atmospheric European locations, and even a bit of zither music in a restaurant. Power is an engaging hero, and the two female leads (Neal and Neff) keep him guessing. Early appearances by Karl Malden, Charles Bronson, and Lee Marvin add interest for trivia buffs. Fans of Cold War espionage fiction will find DIPLOMATIC COURIER a great way to spend an evening.