edwagreen The very thought of Maureen O'Hara with the Nazis is most ridiculous. At least, they should have had her with a strong Irish accent, as we know that many in Ireland was sympathetic to the Germans during World War 11 because of their hatred towards England.We never fully understand why the Nazis wanted McKittrick, the James Garfield character. Therefore, it becomes puzzling that he was supposedly allowed to escape.It doesn't take much to realize who the man with the limp is.We're dealing with a Nazi spy ring in the higher classes of New York, but no, this is certainly no "House on 92nd Street."In this film, everyone is suspect. It may even take us a while to realize what the range, where the Garfield character, was sent to after his escape really is.

Larry41OnEbay-2 I've always enjoyed Garfield's work; he's honest, tough and unpredictable. This WWII drama has its own propaganda agenda and dependable Walter Slezak is a creepy Nazi. Audiences of 1943 would find it easy to cheer and boo in the right places, but only for a while. For the mystery to work there has to be some surprises. Lovely and curvaceous Maureen O'Hara is so sweetly sympathetic but also duplicitous, her true motivations are as hard to guess as her stunning appearance is easy to admire.As far as a stand alone film it is a tad dated because it was a product of it's time and agenda. This was not meant to be escapism; it was a message of how dark the opposition was and how they stooped low to break our spirit. But we know in the end the good guys will win and their pride, their spirit and their cause must lose.So in retrospect I give it a soft recommendation unless you can put yourself in the mind-set that was made for a specific audience, the mothers, fathers, wives, girlfriends', and children of those fighting the biggest war in history.

hcanter While this is not the greatest Garfield movie, it contains one of his most gritty and complex performances. While his tough, streetwise characters usually have a tender, caring heart that is in the right place, in this film he portrays a vulnerable, nearly-broken man who really has to work hard to summon the strength to fight and survive. The depiction of what would have been known then as "battle fatigue" or "war neuroses" is superb, and very true to what we now recognize under the rubric of Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD). It is worthy of study both as a film and as a kind of clinical document or case study of this condition. The use of expressionistic camera, lighting, and sound techniques to intensify the viewer's grasp of his interior mental/emotional status is quite effective, and I think this is what prompts some to classify it as a proto-Film Noir; this, along with some voice-over narration and duplicitous femme fatale characters might also lend such elements of noir identity. However, I am not too sold on that, any more than I would be to call Citizen Kane a film noir because it uses strong lighting & camera effects or a complex flashback narrative pattern. I think it is a good solid war drama full of some ambitious ideas and novel effects for that time period. As most reviewers note, the plot is convoluted and difficult to piece together, and the loyalty of many characters is dubious, kind of like The Big Sleep or The Maltese Falcon (now THERE'S a couple of films noir!), and probably contributes to the lesser-known status of this film. I think the focus on the "battle standard" is maybe not something that evokes a visceral reaction in most people either, so it is hard to wonder why everyone is struggling so hard to obtain it. We can all get why the characters want to possess a jewel-encrusted statuette of the black bird--or even some secret microfilm--but the Borgia flag is a little more abstract. All in all, I think the film is strongest in the acting department, and none stronger than John Garfield. I think it should be re-released as soon as possible on DVD in a nice print and with some extra features--it is more deserving than a lot of other things that roll off the assembly line!!

pcronin This movie is very interesting, but convoluted. And hard to follow. Yet it is good if you like international espionage and World War II spy movies. John McKittrick(John Garfield)was tortured in Franco's Spanish prison camp, but survives and returns home to find out who killed his comrade in arms Louis Lepetino, formerly a fellow New York City cop. His childhood friends and Louis' family all warmly welcome him back, but he is disturbed by what he has endured and the truth he must find. Anton(John Banner)who plays piano accompaniment to his childhood friend Whitney's(Martha O'Driscoll)singing is a spy for the Skaas family and attempts to kill Kit because he knows too much. Next Martha's brother Ab(Bruce Edwards)who is a Fed goes to D.C. to help Kit and returns answering a fraudulent letter for help sent by Otto claiming to be Kit, and Ab is murdered in his lobby. Meanwhile Kit has fallen for the mystery lady on the train back who was also at his welcome home party and works modelling at a womens hat boutique, Toni Donne(O'Hara). She is brusque and gives him the brush-off, but he is not easily dissuaded. He introduces himself, asks her on a date, sends her flowers, and she finally relents. They go out and have a wonderful time. She takes him to meet her family, and Dr Skaas in a wheelchair tells him of his book on his theory of effective mental torture. They show him their family crest and begin cross examining, but he plays dumb. They invite him to a concert of beautiful gypsy orchestrations and Dr Skaas corners him in a room upstairs. He was the Nazi guard at the prison camp with the dragging leg that followed tortures that come back to haunt Kit. Kit has a gun, but cannot shoot. Skaas has a poison syringe and is coming toward Kit. Kit finally shoots him dead! The cops come and catch Anton, but Toni has fled and is on a plane to Lisbon, when she is apprehended by the authorities and Kit takes her seat. The End.