Saboteur (1942)

Featured Audience Ratings

• Graham J

  
  A familiar theme for Hitchcock, but executed beautifully. I especially loved Otto Kruger's villainous character.

• Anthony L

  
  War time Hitchcock with all the propaganda trimmings. The acting lets it down ever-so slightly but he always did have a problem with actors. He very famously never said 'Actors are cattle' but what he did say was 'I never said all actors are cattle; what I said was… More
  War time Hitchcock with all the propaganda trimmings. The acting lets it down ever-so slightly but he always did have a problem with actors. He very famously never said 'Actors are cattle' but what he did say was 'I never said all actors are cattle; what I said was all actors should be treated like cattle'. Here you can almost see why. The scene with the circus folk was also a little strange if not a little thoughtless. All of this is out-shined though by the twist and turns and the fantastic finale, which is probably one of my most favourite in film. Not his best but that's not saying much really!

• Michael G

  
  Saboteur isn't exactly up there with North By Northwest (the movie for which it can be argued that Saboteur is the blueprint) but its a damn fine effort from Alfred Hitchcock. Priscilla Lane (where's she been all my life?) and Robert Cummings work well together and the… More
  Saboteur isn't exactly up there with North By Northwest (the movie for which it can be argued that Saboteur is the blueprint) but its a damn fine effort from Alfred Hitchcock. Priscilla Lane (where's she been all my life?) and Robert Cummings work well together and the famous Statue of Liberty sequence is as fantastic as it is iconic. Saboteur has a few slow patches in the middle (the Van Sutton party was slightly tedious) but makes up for it with plenty of good small parts spread throughout. Well worth the ride...

• AJ V

  
  This is a good thriller, but there are other similar movies, some directed by Hitchcock as well, that are better than this one. Still, it's exciting and enjoyable to watch.

• Drew S

  
  Saboteur's pretty profoundly cheesy, with as flat and uncomplicated a main character as a movie can possibly have. This is probably the closest thing Hitchcock's ever done to popcorn entertainment. Some of the writing really sparkles, though; Alfred Hitchcock and Dorothy… More
  Saboteur's pretty profoundly cheesy, with as flat and uncomplicated a main character as a movie can possibly have. This is probably the closest thing Hitchcock's ever done to popcorn entertainment. Some of the writing really sparkles, though; Alfred Hitchcock and Dorothy Parker conjure up several lines of surprising banter. Not much of this vivacity goes toward the plot, which is a pretty cut-and-dried assault against the Fascist regime. There are the tiniest glimpses of sympathy and human interest in the film's antagonists, and they aren't treated exactly like monstrous freedom haters, but the politics are about as diluted as 1942 would force them to be. Robert Cummings and Priscilla Lane are both sufficient and pretty, and the only real standout is Otto Kruger's creepingly sinister anti-American baddie. This is definitely one of Hitchcock's high action films. Cummings is always on the run...jumping off bridges, hiding in trains, bounding around national landmarks. It's never about why he's doing it, so much as the fact that he IS doing it and the audience is there to enjoy it. The very few plot developments seem placed to move him from set piece to set piece. In fact, Saboteur is highly illogical if anything, with some surprisingly poor editing. In one scene, for instance, Cummings is trapped in the basement of a building. We see him pull a fancy trick, perhaps the start of some great escape plan, and then in literally the next shot we see him across the street from the building! The implication is that he escaped, but it is extremely incomplete. We stumble through scenes like this until finally the movie culminates in an admittedly stunning showdown at the Statue of Liberty. Filmed entirely without music, it's easy to see the beginnings of who would become a notoriously ballsy director. Its wholesale remake in North by Northwest, however, caused it to become sadly obsolete. Not a bad film by any means, but a pretty obvious early effort that lacks the shading and character that made Hitchcock's later films so potent. A decent 100 minutes spent in action film history.

• Conner R

  
  Not one of my favorite films from who I consider the greatest director to ever live. I blame it mostly on the terrible leads, both are so inadvertently campy and distasteful that I just can never get into the story and really enjoy it the way it was intended to be enjoyed. The premise… More
  Not one of my favorite films from who I consider the greatest director to ever live. I blame it mostly on the terrible leads, both are so inadvertently campy and distasteful that I just can never get into the story and really enjoy it the way it was intended to be enjoyed. The premise is pretty fun, mistaken identity is always something Hitchcock knew well. I just donâ??t think this had the pacing it might otherwise have had with better actors. Regardless, the finale on the Statue of Liberty is extremely well done.

• Stella D

  
  suspenseful wartime propaganda. as ever, hitch maintains interest. good bad guy, great circus scene and what an ending!

• jay n

  
  Because Robert Cummings isn't as well known as say Cary Grant it is easier in this instance to be drawn into his plight. Priscilla Lane feels right in her part since her all american beauty was the model standard at the time as well as being the cool blonde you look for with… More
  Because Robert Cummings isn't as well known as say Cary Grant it is easier in this instance to be drawn into his plight. Priscilla Lane feels right in her part since her all american beauty was the model standard at the time as well as being the cool blonde you look for with Hitchcock, the supporting cast is filled with wonderful characters either eminently likable or hissable as need be.

• xGary X

  
  Alfred hitchcock pretty much covers the same ground as The 39 Steps, in a fine WWII progaganda piece. It's a little preachy in places, but the final scene on the Statue of Liberty is nicely shot (although a little anti-climactic) and where else are you going to see american… More
  Alfred hitchcock pretty much covers the same ground as The 39 Steps, in a fine WWII progaganda piece. It's a little preachy in places, but the final scene on the Statue of Liberty is nicely shot (although a little anti-climactic) and where else are you going to see american democracy compared with a box car of circus freaks!

• danny d

  
  this movie was inconsistent. parts of it were incredible and other parts were below average. some things werent explained well and the acting wasnt great, but the overall theme was very good. the end was abrupt and weak, such a complex story should have ended better.

• Aaron N

  
  Although this movie came first, it plays like a darker version of North by Northwest. The movie depends on the lead, Cummings, and he pulls the role off perfect. My main gripe is the ending, which the movie happens to be famous for, but there is still the notion of abruptnous.

• Daniel D

  
  It was boring at parts but the ending scene made it all worth it

• Christopher H

  
  Quite laughable dialogue and plot points, but overall not the worst film ever. Liked the casting of the bad guy. Worked very well for me.

• Curt C

  
  Poor character continuity and a surreal and disappointing climax. Saboteur seems completely out of place for Hitchcock; the acting is decent in parts, subpar in others, and characters seem to act erratically for little reason. The overall story is strong, which is the film's… More
  Poor character continuity and a surreal and disappointing climax. Saboteur seems completely out of place for Hitchcock; the acting is decent in parts, subpar in others, and characters seem to act erratically for little reason. The overall story is strong, which is the film's saving grace. Yeeck, is that climax nonsense though. Honestly, a lot of the issues stem from Robert Cummings playing a pretty weak leading man. He's exactly as angry as he needs to be whenever the scene calls for anger; then instantly slips back into "Golly Gee" mode. Hitchcock should have chosen some better cattle. Huge points for the ballroom scene, which provided the film's most entertaining and tense moments.

Read all 14 featured audience ratings