The read
A Balasaur Score of 79 out of 100, drawn from IMDb 7.2/10, Rotten Tomatoes 100%. Critics rate it 28 points higher than audiences do. Scores higher than 82% of the 92 1950s war movies in this catalog.
Synopsis
WWII is entering its last phase: Germany is in ruins, but does not yield. The US army lacks crucial knowledge about the German units operating on the opposite side of the Rhine, and decides to send two German prisoners to gather information. The scheme is risky: the Gestapo retains a terribly efficient network to identify and capture spies and deserters. Moreover, it is not clear that "Tiger", who does not mind any dirty work as long as the price is right, and war-weary "Happy", who might be easily betrayed by his feelings, are dependable agents. After Tiger and another American agent are successfully infiltrated, Happy is parachuted in Bavaria. His duty: find out the whereabouts of a powerful German armored unit moving towards the western front.
Ratings
Critics rate it 28 points higher than audiences do.
50 audience votes
Key crew
- Anatole LitvakDirector
- Peter ViertelScreenplay
- Franz WaxmanOriginal Music Composer
Cast
- Richard BasehartLt. Dick Rennick
- Gary MerrillCol. Devlin
- Oskar WernerCpl. Karl Maurer - aka Happy
- Hildegard KnefHilde
- Dominique BlancharMonique
- O.E. HasseCol. Oberst von Ecker
- Wilfried SeyferthHeinz Scholtz, SS-Mann
- Hans Christian BlechSgt. Rudolf Barth - aka Tiger
- Helene ThimigFräulein Schneide
- George TyneSgt. Griffin
- Robert FreitagSgt. Paul Richter
- Harold BenedictLt. Pete Gevers
