Excursion into wartime espionage
This is a rather suspenseful war film made by Howard Hughes’ RKO. The studio had a hit-or-miss track record under Hughes, but this is definitely a hit. He’s borrowed Dana Andrews from Sam Goldwyn and assigned the directing chores to Alfred Werker, who always does a competent job. Andrews and Werker would team up again a few years later for a western programmer at Columbia.
Hughes often put whatever new girlfriend he was dating on a contract. Not all those starlets clicked with audiences. This time, it’s Carla Balenda, who does a very credible job in a role that is slightly more than decorative, but not too intense.
She plays a woman who basically connives her way on board a fishing vessel that Andrews and his men take from Gloucester, Massachusetts along the North Atlantic coast to Newfoundland. Balenda wants to be reunited with her father (Onslow Stevens) on the small island they’re from, since he has had an injury and was discharged from his job.
Due to the production code we are made very much aware that Balenda is not sleeping with Andrews or any of the men. She has a small room to herself off the kitchen. But she doesn’t exactly do much cooking, since she gets embroiled in a tale of espionage with Andrews and the others. For on their way to Canada, they run across another ship that seems to have been attacked and has only one survivor, its captain (played to marvelous perfection by Claude Rains).
Rains has them all fooled at first. He plays the victim, letting Andrews and the crew think that he’s been the victim of a wartime attack. This is 1943, when boats were routinely targeted by the Nazis in the Atlantic waters. Of course, Rains is lying through his teeth. The whole thing is a ruse, staged to dupe a naive fisherman like Andrews…we later find out Rains is a Nazi who wants to be towed by Andrews up to the Canadian coast. Then Rains will be reunited with his own crew and will blow up the island where Balenda’s father and friends live.
It’s a gripping set-up, and the scenes where they arrive in Canada and the danger becomes increasingly clear to Andrews is very well played. There’s a wonderful scene where Andrews and his Danish right hand (Philip Dorn who always is skillful at underplaying stock characters) sneak on to Rains’ ship and find a hidden compartment where torpedos are placed— the titular sealed cargo.
There is also a secret room that Rains has to radio Nazis in nearby submarines. Eventually, Andrews and Dorn learn Rains has a bomb with which he will explode the island.
Of course from here, it becomes a game of cat-and-mouse. Andrews and Dorn continue to play dumb naive fishermen to fool Rains. But Rains comes to realize they are wise to him, followed by Rains trying to outmaneuver them. Rains is determined to complete a mission of destruction for his German bosses.
Bringing Rains to justice, and saving the island, gives the film its dramatic impetus. It all reaches a satisfying climax when Rains’ ship is blown up at sea away from the island.
What I really love about this film is how engaging the story is. It takes its time building to the spectacular ending. We have such a wonderful game of oneupmanship going on between Andrews and Rains, and the tension increases very evenly. There are some good exterior scenes that open up the action, so it’s not all stage bound. And I felt Andrews had very nice chemistry with Balenda. This is a highly recommended excursion into wartime espionage as only RKO can deliver.
Of or Involving Motion Pictures 