Ministry of Fear (1944)
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100% of critics liked it
(15 reviews) -
71% of users liked it
(801 ratings)
An innocent man is drawn into a web of espionage when he unwittingly comes into possession of a crucial piece of microfilm in this shadowy, ominous film noir. Fritz Lang's adaptation of Graham Greene's novel is filled with unusual touches, beginning with the fact that protagonist Stephen… More An innocent man is drawn into a web of espionage when he unwittingly comes into possession of a crucial piece of microfilm in this shadowy, ominous film noir. Fritz Lang's adaptation of Graham Greene's novel is filled with unusual touches, beginning with the fact that protagonist Stephen Neale (Ray Milland) has just been released from a mental asylum. To celebrate his return to the real world, he visits a local carnival, only to accidentally receive a "prize" meant for a Nazi agent. When he discovers the error, he turns for help to a detective, whose investigations only make the matter more complicated. Neale soon winds up on the run from both the Nazis and the police, who mistakenly believe him guilty of murder. Lang's famous expressionistic style is somewhat muted here, but Henry Sharp's crisp black-and-white cinematography sets a suitably unsettling mood, and the twists and double-crosses of Greene's story unfold at an appropriately quick pace. While it does not reach the same level of timeless classic as Carol Reed's adaptation of Greene's The Third Man four years later, Ministry of Fear stands as a well-made, thoroughly gripping and intelligent example of film noir. ~ Judd Blaise, Rovi
- Directed By
- Fritz Lang
- Written By
- Seton I. Miller
- Genres
- Drama, Mystery & Suspense, Classics
Unrated,
- In Theaters
- Oct 16, 1944 Wide
- On DVD
- Apr 14, 1998
- Studio
- Paramount Pictures
Critic Reviews
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Matthew Sorrento, Film International
Adept at using cinema for art and entertainment since his early career, Lang treats this Graham Greene "entertainment" in modest, yet effective fashion.
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Sean Axmaker, Parallax View
This is not Lang's best film of the era, or even his most interesting portrait of paranoia and malevolent forces, but it is a lively thriller with unexpected turns.
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James Kendrick, Q Network Film Desk
The film as a whole doesn't really stick with you, but isolated moments and images do
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Matt Brunson, Creative Loafing
It's not top-shelf Fritz Lang, nor is it top-level Graham Greene, but as an exercise in World War II intrigue with a smidgen of film noir thrown in, Ministry of Fear gets the job done.
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Gabe Leibowitz, Film and Felt
It's certainly fitting that after filling his German years with ballsy, predictive masterpieces about Nazi rule-by-fear, Fritz Lang would finally make a film that directly involves Nazis.
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Cast
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Ray Milland
as Stephen Neale
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Marjorie Reynolds
as Carla Hilfe
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Dan Duryea
as Cost/Travers
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Carl Esmond
as Willi Hilfe
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Percy Waram
as Inspector Prentice
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Hillary Brooke
as The Second Mrs. Bellane
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Alan Napier
as Dr. Forrester
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Erskine Sanford
as Mr. Rennit
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Thomas Louden
as Mr. Newland
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Aminta Dyne
as The First Mrs. Bellane
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Eustace Wyatt
as Blind Man
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Mary Field
as Miss Penteel
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Byron Foulger
as Mr. Newby
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Harry Allen
as Delivery Man
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Frank Baker
as Scotland Yard Man
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Wilson Benge
as Air Raid Warden
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Evelyn Beresford
as Fat Lady
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Arthur Blake
as Officer
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Matthew Boulton
as Government Official
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George Broughton
as Man in Tailor's Shop
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Leonard Carey
as Porter
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David Clyde
as English Bobby
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Frank Dawson
as Vicar
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Edward Fielding
as Executive
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Helena Grant
as Mrs. Merrick
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Grayce Hampton
as Lady with Floppy Hat
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Olaf Hytten
as Clerk in Tailor Shop
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Boyd Irwin
as Scotland Yard Man
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Colin Kenny
as Scotland Yard Man
- Frank Leigh
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Connie Leon
as Lady Purchaser of Cake
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Lester Matthews
as Dr. Norton
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Clive Morgan
as Man in Tailor's Shop
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Ottola Nesmith
as Woman at Admission Gate
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Jessica Newcombe
as Cake Booth Lady
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Hilda Plowright
as Maid
- Francis Sayles
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Eric Wilton
as Scotland Yard Man
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Bruce Carruthers
as Police Clerk
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Anne Curson
as Lady with Children
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Cyril Delavanti
as Railway Ticket Agent
