Ministry of Fear (1944)

Ministry of Fear (1944) – Stephen Neale (Milland) has just been released from an asylum during World War 2 in England when he stumbles on a deadly Nazi spy plot by accident and tries to stop it.

Directed by Fritz Lang                                              Starring Ray Milland, Marjory Reynolds

What really strikes me about this movie is the great interplay between Milland’s innocent hero who is trying to start his life again and the world of espionage and deceit created by director Fritz Lang.  When your starting point is a Graham Greene novel, you’ve got a pretty good foundation.  There are some profound differences between book and movie, however.  In the book, Neale is in the asylum after murdering his wife and making it look like an assisted suicide.  Here, he was with her to the end.  Even with the change, the movie builds some great tension focusing on the espionage angle, and the character’s unintended involvement with a Nazi spy ring.

In many ways, this feels like a classic Ray Milland role.  A man struggling with internal demons and external threats.  Put it in there with “Lost Weekend” and “Dial M for Murder”.  This movie doesn’t quite reach the classic level of the other two, but it’s a fine piece of work.  Here, he is a relatively normal person (albeit with a secret) thrust into the noir world of spies.  He knows he doesn’t belong there and is struggling to fight his way free.

Why You Will Like It – Good example of a film noir, a good spy movie as well.  Plus another fine performance by Ray Milland

Rating – *** Worth A Look