America’s entry into World War Two didn’t affect most of their monster franchises, with this being the main exception. (I guess it would be hard to come up with ideas for the mummy, Frankenstein and Dracula to get involved in the war, but invisibility would be useful in war time).
It starts with a full on scene where Nazi agents Cedric Hardwicke and Peter Lorre try to persuade Jon Hall into giving up his uncle’s invisibility formula – by threatening to guillotine his hand. They even place it under the guillotine and are about to chop it off when Hall says he’ll tell. Of course, he’s only pretending and he punches them out before escaping.
But after this promising beginning it turns into a jokey WW2 film in the vein of Desperate Journey. Hall tells the US government who ask if they can use the formula. He refuses and they’re ok with it (you know, like they would) – but then Pearl Harbour is attacked and he turns it over on the condition that only he use the drug. So Hall parachutes into occupied Germany to find out about Nazi plans to invade America.
Cue lots of cute stuff with Hall tricking up comic Nazis and lots (and lots) of Nazis doing double takes. He’s not much of a secret agent, to be honest, constantly being unable to keep quiet – he’s always making some smart alec remark or showing off to agent Ilona Massey. No wonder Hardwicke and Lorre gets the drop on him relatively easily. Hall even goes a bit bonkers at once stage, convinced Massey.
This was a totally different sort of role for Hall –he was best known for South Sea Island parts which emphasised his handsome features and torso, but here he has to rely on his voice and acting ability. To be honest, he doesn’t really rise to the occasion and you can’t help wishing someone else played the role.
But to compensate there is Hardwicke and Lorre, who make excellent villains, both very smart – the only thing that helps the Allies win is that Japan and Germany squabble amongst themselves. Hardwicke likes to torture people and arrange for his own men to be shot – during one interrogation he has a person’s fingers broken. Lorre’s Japanese agent is a spiritual relative of Mr Moto right down to unscrupulousness and skill with ju jitsu. There is some racism often found in war movies of the time - Hall tells Lorre he “can’t tell you Japs apart”, Lorre talks about the odd sentimentality Caucasians have for white women
J Edward Bromberg and John Litel add class to the supporting cast and it’s done with Universal’s customary production sheen, including some need special effects. I get the feeling that had this been made a year later or something, when Hollywood was less silly with its war movies, this would have been a lot better.
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