Le dernier passage

Original title: The Secret Ways

IMDb RATING

YOUR RATING

During the 1956 Hungarian uprising, an American mercenary is hired to smuggle a Hungarian resistance leader out of Soviet-occupied Budapest.During the 1956 Hungarian uprising, an American mercenary is hired to smuggle a Hungarian resistance leader out of Soviet-occupied Budapest.During the 1956 Hungarian uprising, an American mercenary is hired to smuggle a Hungarian resistance leader out of Soviet-occupied Budapest.

Directors
- Phil Karlson
- Richard Widmark
Writers
- Alistair MacLean
- Jean Hazlewood
Stars

See production info at IMDbPro

IMDb RATING

6.2/10

567

YOUR RATING

Directors
- Phil Karlson
- Richard Widmark
Writers
- Alistair MacLean
- Jean Hazlewood
Stars

See production info at IMDbPro

Photos134

+ 130

User reviews15

6.2567

Featured reviews

6CinemaSerf

The Secret Ways

Richard Widmark was quite good in these wartime gun-for-hire stories. In this one, he features well as the slightly smug American "Reynolds" who is drafted in by the Hungarian resistance to try and smuggle a renowned scientist from Soviet-occupied territory to the safety of Vienna. Upon arrival - posing as a journalist - his best laid plans hit one pretty unexpected snag - the old fella "Jansci" (Walter Rilla) doesn't actually want to go. Luckily, the man's daughter "Julia" (Sonja Zieman) is on board but they are still going to have one heck of a job staying one step ahead of the suspicious authorities whilst they persuade the old chap to flee with them. There is quite a decent plot here, a certain degree of chemistry between Widmark and the lively Zieman but some of the escapades are truly far-fetched (especially towards the conclusion with a brave but implausible prison break featuring the "Count" (Charles Regnier)). That said, most of this is a quickly paced and lively action thriller with sparing use of dialogue and a fair degree of menace from the pen of established writer Alistair MacLean. Apparently John Williams was behind some of the effective score, and the photography is suitably dark and grainy adding quite a bit of atmosphere to this decent cold war thriller.

5Teagarden1256

Lukewarm Cold War drama

This typical Cold War spy thriller, full of impossible to understand plot turns, bad guys and bad girls who turn to be good, maybe, doesn't have much going for it except Max Greene's (Mutzy Greenbaum) dazzling B&W deep focus photography and one of John Williams' first atmospheric scores. Phil Karlson, the director, who occasionally made a decent film, was hired and then fired by star/producer Richard Widmark who mostly snarls. Karlson does an OK job with the confusing script, but this is no THIRD MAN. If you stop trying to figure out what the hell is going on, and just watch the imagery, worth your while. Added bonus: Lots of excellent European character actors looking sinister and the luscious Senta Berger looking delicious in one of her first English language roles.

8clanciai

Cold War standard thriller of perils, intrigues, complications and narrow escapes of normal procedure

The problem here is the script which isn't quite coherent, committing the deadly sin of keeping the audience out of touch with what is really going on - a lot of incidents and parts of the intrigue raises question marks that never are answered. This is not a Graham Greene story but an Alistair MacLean story, which concentrates more on suspense and effects than on any psychology that makes sense. Perhaps the book is better than the film, it usually is, and in that case the film suffers from severe logic gaps. Richard Widmark is always good and reliable, he never lets his audiences down, and the cinematography is the great advantage of the film, which needs something to counterpoise its over-meticulous slow action and rather dreary character - Alistair MacLean always made the villains and the enemy (in this case those behind the iron curtain) appear worse scoundrels than they were, exaggerating the justification for paranoia. The music is good, and it is actually one of John Wlliams' first scores, and he seldom made a better one. It's not on par with Anton Karas' unsurpassed suggestive cither music of "The Third Man", like the entire film falls into its shadow, but it is good and suggestive enough. It is neither one of Alistair MacLean's nor Richard Widmark's best shows, but it is interesting, and the Hungarians actually speak Hungarian - the realism is convincing enough.

5planktonrules

High on talk....low on action.

"The Secret Ways" is a Cold War-era thriller with far fewer thrills than I'd anticipated. Most of the time, folks just talk and talk and talk and I can't help thinking it should have been better.

The film stars Richard Widmark as Michael Reynolds, an American adventurer who will do all sorts of things for a buck. His latest assignment is to spirit a leader of the Hungarian underground movement following the unsuccessful Hungarian revolt against the USSR in 1956.

For much of the film, Widmark hangs around Vienna and talks a lot...punctuated by a beating from some thugs. When he goes to Budapest, the same pattern pretty much continues...with lots of talking and communist party officials hanging about him as he tries to move about the city in search of the man he is supposed to slip out of the Iron Curtain. Along for the ride is the confusingly written daughter of the man he is trying to save.

The best thing about this film is probably the wonderful black & white cinematography. It has a noir sort of look and really was lovely. As far as the story and acting go, they take a back seat to the images you see of the cities (of course, being an anti-communist film, they didn't really film in Hungary). As far as thrills go, the movie is just fair...and nothing more. I think it really needed more action and less sarcastic dialog from Widmark. Additionally, Widmark's character seemed to have no real plan...as if you could just easily flee from Budapest to freedom! In fact, it was comically easy...too easy...so much that it really hurt the story. Overall, not too bad...but more of a time-passer than anything else.

6robert-temple

Lots of dark streets, corridors, buildings, cobblestones, and plenty of atmosphere

This is not a superior Cold War thriller but it has its moments, and so much of it was shot on location in Vienna and elsewhere that we get excellent atmosphere. The action takes place in Budapest under the Communists, and all the dark streets at night have no streetlights, no cars, no people. All the streets are cobblestone gleaming in the moonlight, a seemingly endless succession of them considering all the chase and escape incidents in the film. Richard Widmark produced this film, as an excellent vehicle for himself as the hero, and he also directed part of it. It is based on a story by Alistair MacLean. The lead girl is played by Sonja Ziemann, who in real life was married to the actor Charles Regnier who plays "The Count" in the film. Widmark has been sent to find and fetch an anti-Communist resistance leader back to Austria, since the Communists want to torture and kill him. All the action is standard Cold War stuff, though that is not to say it is inaccurate. The action is frenetic and intense. We also don't know for a long time who the good guys are and who the bad guys are. It is well worth reminding ourselves what things were like in Eastern Europe then, lest we forget.

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Storyline

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Trivia
Richard Widmark's wife, Jean Hazlewood, wrote the screenplay. It was her only screenwriting credit.

Goofs
Although the film is set in 1956 Hungary. The opening title of the movie is The Austrian-Hungarian Border 1960.

Quotes
Jancsi: That would be convenient wouldn't it? You've made arrangements, certain plans to deliver me from my enemies into the hands of Herr Scheffler. You overlooked one thing only - I don't choose to leave my country.
Michael Reynolds: Sir, you don't have a choice, your time is up.
Jancsi: If that is so, Mr Reynolds, I'll die here.
Michael Reynolds: Why do you have to die? What for? I don't believe in it. Look, I came here to save your neck and I'm going to do it, even if you don't want it saved.
Jancsi: Whatever I do with my life is my own business. No one else's.
Michael Reynolds: Oh, you don't understand. In an few days you won't have a life.
The Count: We know our position better than you do.
Michael Reynolds: No, you don't! Scheffler is a pipeline. If he says I've got two days to get you out, you've got two days. Now, you can wait here like sitting ducks or you can do something. But there's a way out. If you're reasonable, you'll take it.
Jancsi: There's no profit for you, don't bother about that.
Michael Reynolds: Alright, I'm being paid. I know you'd like it better if I was some great humanitarian who believed in your cause. Well, I don't even know what your cause is.
The Count: That shouldn't surprise us.
Michael Reynolds: Well, who does outside this room? You could yell your heads off, nobody'd hear you. They aren't listening. They're all like me, I promise you; they couldn't care less. Causes are outmoded. Everybody's learned to live by compromise. Why can't you?
Jancsi: There isn't any compromise. To compromise is to doubt your own convictions. If they're worth having, they're unshakeable.
Michael Reynolds: Convictions are fine, if you live.
Jancsi: Mr. Reynolds, if I can live one day to save one person, that's enough.
Michael Reynolds: But you can do more than that on the outside. Unless you're determined to die a a martyr. And a crackpot!