Night Train to Munich
3/4
Starring: Rex Harrison, Margaret Lockwood, Paul von Henreid, Basil Radford, Naunton Wayne, James Harcourt
Not Rated (contains some Violence...probable PG)
"Night Train to Munich" is a blend of suspense, action and romance. It's an interesting confection to be sure, and while it doesn't always gel, it's definitely a lot of fun.
The story begins in the days leading up to World War II. The German army has just invaded Czechoslovakia, and the government is desperate to get one of their scientists, Axel Bomasch (Harcourt), out of the country. Bomasch has been researching a new kind of steel plating, and that would spell doom for freedom if it fell into the hands of the Nazis. They have arranged for him and his daughter, Anna (Lockwood) to flee to England. But while Axel escapes, Anna is caught and sent to a concentration camp. There, she meets Karl Marsen (von Henreid), who helps her escape. Unfortunately, Karl is a double agent, and is using her to get to her father. Now it's up to a dashing secret agent named Gus Bennett (Harrison) to get them to safety.
The three leads, Rex Harrison, Margaret Lockwood and Paul Henreid, are best known for other movies. Rex Harrison won an Oscar for playing Henry Higgins to Audrey Hepburn's Eliza Doolittle in "My Fair Lady" and played Julius Caesar in the legendary bomb "Cleopatra." Margaret Lockwood played the lead in Alfred Hitchcock's "The Lady Vanishes." And everyone knows Paul Henreid as Victor Laszlo in "Casablanca."
All three do fine work here, although Lockwood has some over-the-top moments. Rex Harrison steals the movie as the colorful and quick-witted Gus. While there are times when his charm struggles to keep things afloat, overall he's a terrific, if unusual, lead. Margaret Lockwood is good as the damsel in distress, but as I said, she has some moments where she's not credible. Paul Heinreid is also very good, playing a romantic or a slimeball as the situation requires it.
Like his stars, Carol Reed has an established record of directed films. He's best known for directing Joseph Cotten and Orson Welles in the classic thriller "The Third Man," and directing the 1969 Best Picture Winner "Oliver!" What Reed does is ambitious and mostly successful. There are some moments of inspired comedy (Gus always has a one-liner or a pithy comment for every situation) and genuine suspense. Other elements don't work as well. The romance, while having chemistry, is undercooked, and the verbal repartee between two bumbling British men (Radford and Wayne) is more tedious than amusing. They have some funny moments, but they have too much screentime. Additionally, the plot hinges on the Nazis being a little too gullible for the plot to really be something.
Regardless, this is a fun little adventure.
Starring: Rex Harrison, Margaret Lockwood, Paul von Henreid, Basil Radford, Naunton Wayne, James Harcourt
Not Rated (contains some Violence...probable PG)
"Night Train to Munich" is a blend of suspense, action and romance. It's an interesting confection to be sure, and while it doesn't always gel, it's definitely a lot of fun.
The story begins in the days leading up to World War II. The German army has just invaded Czechoslovakia, and the government is desperate to get one of their scientists, Axel Bomasch (Harcourt), out of the country. Bomasch has been researching a new kind of steel plating, and that would spell doom for freedom if it fell into the hands of the Nazis. They have arranged for him and his daughter, Anna (Lockwood) to flee to England. But while Axel escapes, Anna is caught and sent to a concentration camp. There, she meets Karl Marsen (von Henreid), who helps her escape. Unfortunately, Karl is a double agent, and is using her to get to her father. Now it's up to a dashing secret agent named Gus Bennett (Harrison) to get them to safety.
The three leads, Rex Harrison, Margaret Lockwood and Paul Henreid, are best known for other movies. Rex Harrison won an Oscar for playing Henry Higgins to Audrey Hepburn's Eliza Doolittle in "My Fair Lady" and played Julius Caesar in the legendary bomb "Cleopatra." Margaret Lockwood played the lead in Alfred Hitchcock's "The Lady Vanishes." And everyone knows Paul Henreid as Victor Laszlo in "Casablanca."
All three do fine work here, although Lockwood has some over-the-top moments. Rex Harrison steals the movie as the colorful and quick-witted Gus. While there are times when his charm struggles to keep things afloat, overall he's a terrific, if unusual, lead. Margaret Lockwood is good as the damsel in distress, but as I said, she has some moments where she's not credible. Paul Heinreid is also very good, playing a romantic or a slimeball as the situation requires it.
Like his stars, Carol Reed has an established record of directed films. He's best known for directing Joseph Cotten and Orson Welles in the classic thriller "The Third Man," and directing the 1969 Best Picture Winner "Oliver!" What Reed does is ambitious and mostly successful. There are some moments of inspired comedy (Gus always has a one-liner or a pithy comment for every situation) and genuine suspense. Other elements don't work as well. The romance, while having chemistry, is undercooked, and the verbal repartee between two bumbling British men (Radford and Wayne) is more tedious than amusing. They have some funny moments, but they have too much screentime. Additionally, the plot hinges on the Nazis being a little too gullible for the plot to really be something.
Regardless, this is a fun little adventure.
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