Coup de feu au matin

Espionage Thriller that really takes awhile to take off, as the slow moving startup is meant to propel Joel McCrea into a Spy Ring and Set Up a Situation that may remind the Viewer of Hitchcock.

But this is rather awkward at first and never attains much Mystery or Suspense until things leave the Countryside. Herbert Lom's Performance borders on Broad Comedy and holds things back somewhat.

There is enough here to be an Entertaining Piece of Cold War Propaganda, but never really kicks into High Gear until the Final Act. Up to that point things are really Talky and Stodgy, but it does manage to display some Atmospheric Tension during the Chase through a Wax Museum and in the Bowels of a Cityscape.

I knew zero about Director Robert Parrish until recently, but then I saw IN THE FRENCH STYLE and SADDLE THE WIND, two very different films, and I liked his style and versatility.

I might add that I am quite impressed by ROUGH SHOOT (aka SHOOT FIRST! In the US) and its Hitchcockian touches, including the musical score by Hans May which vaguely pre-announces Bernard Herrmann.

I do like watching Joel McCrea. Never a great actor, somehow he reminds me of William Powell's pleasant presence on screen. Even in unremarkable roles, he is a joy to watch, always calm and with a reassuring smile. The exquisitely beautiful Evelyn Keyes lights up the screen, Laurence Naismith rates very effective as the MI5 spy master, Herbert Lom plays a friendly Polish colonel with great savvy and cunning, Marius Goring and his sidekick driver are the heavies, and the twisty and clever screenplay by Eric Ambler takes you through an eventful train ride to an explosive finale at Madame Tussaud's, London.

Can you ask for better? 8/10.

"SHOOT FIRST" (1953) Joel Macrae - I like Joel Macrae but this one just left me quite bored. The cable guide gives it 3 stars, I'd give it one star.

Herbert Lom plays pivotal character, Sandorski.

How can such an exciting storyline be treated so shabbily? Even as I was watching it I thought it was as if they purposely toned-down the dynamic impact (typically British under-statement) in order to convey stark distance and a sort of clinical detachment.

Macrae plays an American Army officer in England who gets involved with some local Nazi spies. But that sounds way more exciting than the movie actually is.

This spy film has all the ingredients that I require: A likable male lead (Joel McCrea), a gorgeous female lead (Diana Decker) and a great supporting cast, including Marius Goring, Herbert Lom and Roland Culver. It has suspense, humour and a good script.

The end of the film takes place at Madame Tussaud's wax cabinet. Hitchcock used several famous landmarks in his thrillers, but I am uncertain if he could turn the script into a so entertaining film like director Robert Parrish did.

Although this film is shot in black and white and contains neither bikini-clad women nor funny gadgets, I think this film is better than most James Bond films.

US Col. Robert Tanie lives with his wife in a cottage in rural England. While hunting on hares, he stumbles on someone he suspects being a poacher or a smuggler. Hoping to scare off the trespasser, he takes a shot at him, and sees the man fall down. Having used non lethal munition, he's very surprised to discover the man's actually dead. What he doesn't know is that the actual killer is a sniper, belonging to a spy ring. Later, he meets Sandorski, a Polish officer (you could describe him as something between Tarfu –see Sabotage agent- and Hercules Poirot). This Sandorski is working together with some British cloak and dagger people, that are keeping a close eye on some suspicious characters, who are also roaming around on the hunting grounds. Sandorski has discovered the presence of strong lights, that are intended to help a plane land in the darkness on these remote surroundings. It soon turns out some shady characters are expecting a mysterious plane with a passenger that clearly doesn't want to use more common ways to travel to the UK. Tanie and the Polish officer manage to change the position of landing lights, and "kidnap" the passenger. It turns out to be a scientist from the Eastern bloc, who wants to meet a communist spy in London.

The novel was by Geoffrey Household, the screenplay by nobody less than Eric Ambler. The action is more important than the psychology of the characters or the dialogs. The movie starts at a somewhat slow pace, but gradually, things are becoming more and more interesting, building up toward a nice climax in Madame Tussaud's. The movie is at times somewhat unnecessarily complex: the presence of a Polish officer with a cavalry sword (!) doesn't add much strength to the storyline. Also, it would have made more sense if Col. Tanie was enjoying retirement with his beautiful wife on the English countryside, so I was surprised to see him use a (US ?) uniform at times, which suggested he was not. And why would spies meet in Madame Tussaud's in stead of in a safe house ?

Still, it's certainly a nice little movie: although no A-stuff, certainly a better than average B-movie. Joel McCrea is alright as the not particularly bright Colonel, and Evelyn Keyes is well cast as his helpful but also curious and somewhat impatient wife. I'd rate it 7.5 to 8/10 However, if you want to see a much better UK spy movie from the same period, try to find High Treason.