Diplomatic Courier (1952) User Reviews

A fine post-war espionage picture

[LCShackley · 8/10 · 19 August 2008]

Tyrone Power plays a diplomatic courier called out on a special assignment which seems fairly simple: pick up some documents from an agent and take them to Washington. But of course, in a film like this, things don't work out right the first time. The "drop" doesn't go according to plan, so Power has to improvise, surrounded by an increasing number of characters whose loyalties are questionable. A couple of femmes fatales, a cross-dressing night club entertainer, some MPs, and the obligatory little bald pawnshop owner all liven up the plot, with plenty of twists en route to the finale.

The influence of THE THIRD MAN is clear, with plenty of atmospheric European locations, and even a bit of zither music in a restaurant. Power is an engaging hero, and the two female leads (Neal and Neff) keep him guessing. Early appearances by Karl Malden, Charles Bronson, and Lee Marvin add interest for trivia buffs. Fans of Cold War espionage fiction will find DIPLOMATIC COURIER a great way to spend an evening.

brisk Cold War drama

[blanche-2 · 7/10 · 21 November 2005]

Tyrone Power stars as a courier put in an awkward situation by the U.S. government in "Diplomatic Courier," which also stars Patricia Neal and Hildegarde Knef. Neal has a small but showy role as a society widow who chases Power around Europe. The film was shot on location in Europe, possibly using post-war blocked funds that caused so many films to be made there in the '50s and beyond.

I first saw this film on TV as a kid, and like one of the other posters, it stuck in my mind, possibly because even back then, I was a Tyrone Power fan. The early '50s were a transition time for him. Unlike some actors - Bogart, Mitchum, Gable, to name a few - Power changed dramatically over the years. By the time this film was made, he had lost the last vestige of his boyishness and was thoroughly disillusioned with movies and undoubtedly the master he had served since 1936, 20th Century Fox. In the few years he had left, he would turn more and more to theater and form his own movie production company. Some of his best work lay ahead of him.

Power is supported in the film with a vigorous performance by Karl Malden and from newcomer Hildegarde Knef. Talented and beautiful, Knef, like many other European actresses who came to Hollywood after the war, never found a niche in Hollywood. She went on to great success on Broadway, however, with "Silk Stockings," the musical version of "Ninotchka," costarring Don Ameche, and remained friends with Power. Patricia Neal plays a widow that Power meets on an airplane. He keeps standing her up when they're supposed to get together but the story takes it a little further. Neal was an ardent fan of Power's and when they met, she asked him why it was that he hadn't answered her fan letter.

Diplomatic Courier is a fast-moving, atmospheric film where you can't tell the good guys from the bad, and it holds interest. Watch for a Lee Marvin in a small role and an uncredited moment by Charles Bronson.

Diplomatic Courier-Cloak & Dagger At its Best ***1/2

[edwagreen · 8/10 · 3 May 2008]

Wonderful Tyrone Power vehicle that will have you guessing every minute along the way.

When Power is assigned to deliver important papers, the person who is to receive them can't retrieve them and is eventually murdered. Suspicion centers on Hildegarde Knef, who does quite well in this film.

Patricia Neal is in fine form as a wealthy looking widow of an official who comes along and tries to romance Power along the way. What else is this conniving woman up to?

Diplomatic intrigue hasn't been this good in years. Power is sympathetic and will rescue Neff at the end when it appears that she has been truthful to him throughout the film.

Fast-paced Iron Curtain thriller offers an early look at some future stars

[grainstorms · 1 May 2017]

Tyrone Power is a diplomatic courier for the US State Department who gets into more trouble than he bargained for.

Always a very good if under-rated actor,in "Diplomatic Courier" Tyrone Power shows a tough shrewdness that's more gritty private eye than State Department protocol calls for.

The movie, in beautifully photographed black-and-white, never lets up its rapid pace. It's the sort of impeccably produced Hollywood movie that is absolutely professional, from the smart direction of Henry Hathaway to the breathtaking cinematography by Lucien Ballard.

As a diplomatic courier, Power thinks himself as just "a postman." But when he's called upon to make a special delivery, things begin happening and fast.

For starters, he finds himself in the sights of not one, but two beautiful women --{Patricia Neal and Hildegard Neff -- who both deliver terrific and intelligent performances.)

Much of the action takes place on one of those international trains equipped with piercing air horns and whistles, with lots of hopping between compartments. There is also the requisite plush hotel and nightclub with a weird variety act, and packs of sinister Eastern European-accented characters up to no good.

With all of this, there is a marvelous bonus: four future stars appear in "Diplomatic Courier," and you might want to look for them: Michael Ansara...Charles Bronson... Lee Marvin ... and Karl Malden. Bronson, Ansara and Marvin have tiny roles -- Bronson (Buchinsky here) and Ansara are in and out in seconds -- but Karl Malden actually steals the movie as a Sgt. Bilko-type US Army non-com who knows the ropes.

In all, "Diplomatic Courier" is a nice surprise, especially if you like to watch for new stars on the horizon.

Ms. Neff's's stellar outing

[mdewey · 7/10 · 27 April 2008]

As my summary suggests, I was taken aback by H. Neff's moving portrayal as the double agent in post-war Trieste. No gussied-up over emoting from her, just honest, gut-wrenching outpouring of uncontrived emotion delivered with articulation and intensity. When watching her explain herself to Mr. Power and others, I actually felt she must have been an agent in real life at some point. Those tears she shed while she delivered her rationale for her actions were the genuine type, not some Hollywood "tear-squirting" job. Why she never became a more sought-after actor, I'll never know. Maybe she was a little too deep and maybe too foreign for the superficially driven 1950's Hollywood system. Also impressive was Patricia Neal's interpretation of her femme fatale role.

Also, I'll take exception to those who criticized T. Power's role. As I see it, he excelled in his performance as a world-weary, cynical Cold War courier. What do people expect? A rerun as a younger, pseudo-swashbuckling Caribbean pirate? I for one am glad he took a less glamorous and more substantive role such as this.

On a somewhat sentimental note, it was nice to see some cameo-ish work from Lee Marvin, Michael Ansara and Chuck Buchinski (Bronson!) before their careers took off in the ensuing years. It made the film more fun to watch!

The Purloined Document.

[rmax304823 · 6/10 · 21 April 2017]

Tyrone Power works for the US State Department as a courier. His job is to carry documents safely from one point to another. He's sent by the Army on a mysterious trip to Europe to pick something up from an American agent, but the agent is killed and the document at issue disappears. Nobody knows what's up, not the Army, not the State Department, not Power, not even the viewer. The Army then sends him as "bait" for the commies, to Trieste, then part of Jugoslavia, where he meets Patricia Neal, who appears to be a horny aristo, and Hildegard Knef, looking mighty fine but always, well, "gespannt."

The problem is that Tyrone Power is not a secret agent, not even a flagrantly obvious agent. As Power describes his job, he's just a reliable State Department "postman." He's reluctant to undertake the task of being the bait and trying to recover the missing goods but he attacks the task earnestly enough, wending his way through a flurry of enigmatic messages and weird characters wearing a dozen wrist watches at once. If you think this description is confusing, wait until you see the movie.

The plot may be a little intricate but it's thought provoking too. How would you like to be a diplomatic courier, entrusted with the safekeeping of world-shaking documents? That's one of the thoughts it provokes. I, for one, wouldn't like it because I'm constantly misplacing things. Never mind secret treaties and all that. Sometimes I have trouble remembering where I put my glass eyeball and prosthetic nose. At any rate his job puts him in contact with some curious and unexpected people. There's Charles Bronson as a commie goon, for instance. Then there's Lee Marvin as a baffled military policeman. Karl Malden is a savvy and helpful Master Sergeant. There's a female impersonator who does a dynamite Bette Davis.

Then there are the two babes -- Neal and Knef -- and we know at once that ONE of them must be the femme fatale. It's true that Knef is German and that in 1952 Germans still made convenient villains but she has an endearing lisp in her husky voice -- "Pleathe come in, Mithter Kellth." Patricia Neal is an American but she goes around in a constant state of oestrus, practically inviting intromission on a nightclub floor, the slut. Both display facets of the stereotypical villain.

The plot engine is the momentous document. No power on earth could force me to reveal which side gets it but I guess it's okay if I proffer the hint that we get it. It's an abstruse narrative whose sense is only picked up gradually but there is plenty of action as well -- fist fights, drugging, attempted drownings, murders, the brandishing of weapons, and wearing white after Labor Day. I enjoyed it, and most people will probably be entertained by it.

The Power of Postman Power.

[hitchcockthelegend · 7/10 · 5 June 2012]

Diplomatic Courier is directed by Henry Hathaway and adapted by Casey Robinson and Liam O'Brien from the novel Sinister Errand written by Peter Cheyney. It stars Tyrone Power, Patricia Neal, Hildegard Knef, Stephen McNally and Karl Malden. Music is by Sol Kaplan and cinematography by Lucien Ballard.

Power plays Mike Kelly, a Department of State courier who ends up in a nest of intrigue and murder in Trieste when he fails to collect a package from a colleague.

A well constructed espionage yarn. Pace moves at a clip, the black and white photography giving it a semi-documentary feel, which in turn is at one with the Cold War cloud looming over plotting. There's the inevitable requests to suspend disbelief, but that's fine for the sub-genre spy seeking fan. Cast are good, with Power full of determination, Neal deliciously nutty, Malden energetic and the beautiful Knef hinting at the ability that was never realised. There's twists and turns and rocks to look under, while the good and bad guys are never easily identified. All good, really, a safe and sound recommendation. 7/10

Aged, But Still Good in 2004

[claudio_carvalho · 7/10 · 31 January 2004]

In the Cold War, Mike Kells (Tyrone Power) is a courier, who has the mission to meet his friend Sam Carew (James Millican) in a train in Europe and bring some documents back to Washington. However, Sam is killed in the train, and Mike finds a hint in his pocket, indicating he should go to Trieste to find Janine (Hildegard Knef), the last contact of Sam before he dies. Meanwhile, Joan Ross (Patricia Neal), an American widow that Mike met in the plane, shows a great interest in Mike. Mike does not know, but he is used by American government as a bait. This movie has aged a lot, by remains very attractive. The story, full of plot points, is still very good. In Brazil, it is only available on cable television. The DVD and the VHS have not been released. My vote is seven

Title (Brazil): `Missão Perigosa em Trieste' (`Dangerous Mission in Trieste')

Not bad

[amolad · 7/10 · 14 March 2001]

Solid little movie of Cold War espionage. It was filmed on location by the great cinematographer Lucien Ballard, and the crisp black-and-white photography is one of the best things about the picture. There are lots of night exteriors which look gorgeous.

The story is reasonably appealing and is well-told, capturing the paranoia of the Cold War -- or at least of classic Cold War fiction -- in its prime. It's suspenseful even though it's predictable, and it contains some nice comic moments, especially from Karl Malden. Tyrone Power is a little past his prime here but does an OK job.

Tyrone Power, Diplomatic Courier

[JLRMovieReviews · 9/10 · 22 April 2010]

Tyrone Power is obviously, as the title suggests, a diplomatic courier. He is thrown into a new mission just after completing one and changes planes before he is given time to turn around. Exhausted, he promptly falls asleep, taking two seats, but Patricia Neal, the last one on, needs it and he ultimately sleeps on her shoulder.

Right off the bat, they hit it off and have great chemistry. He would love to spend time with her, but he has his mission. This is a thoroughly engrossing espionage film that is a lot of fun and moves at a break-neck pace, with Ty constantly chasing the "bad guys" or being chased by them. Hildegarde Neff is great in a supporting role.

I'm sure this is hard to find. (I taped it some time ago off Fox Movie Channel, and recently watched it.) But if you happen to catch it, you'll be very glad you did. Costarring Stephen MacNally and Karl Malden and with James Coburn and Charles Bronson in small roles, this is one good little film that should be discovered.

Strictly marking time!

[JohnHowardReid · 6/10 · 28 November 2017]

Copyright 13 June 1952 by 20th Century-Fox Film Corp. New York opening at the Roxy: 13 June 1952. U.S. release: 25 June 1952. U.K. release: 28 July 1952. Australian release: 4 September 1952. Sydney opening at the Mayfair. 98 minutes.

SYNOPSIS: An American secret agent in Salzburg is sent to pick up top secret information. His path, however, is blocked by a Russian spy ring.

NOTES: Final teaming of actor Power and director Hathaway.

COMMENT: Based on Peter Cheyney's novel, "Sinister Errand", this movie emerges as a surprisingly dull account of international intrigue. The script starts off slowly and whenever it looks like speeding up, it gets bogged down in talk. The players do their best to overcome this major handicap, but they are constantly hampered by their one-dimensional characterizations and the script's sloppy narrative structure.

As not a single member of the cast left the Hollywood studio, director Henry Hathaway's main task has been to integrate the studio material with the 2nd unit location footage — a task he has accomplished with great success and masterly adroitness.

Lucien Ballard's photography has the characteristic Fox low-key and high contrast I so greatly admire. Other production values are first-rate though the film would be considerably improved by sharper film editing.

OTHER VIEWS: Diplomatic Courier is a film I like very much, and it was another experience. I had made many pictures outside. This picture took place in Europe and went on all over, but I made it on the stage. I never left the stage. The second unit shot the scene with Tyrone Power on the Trocadero. It was an action picture, automobiles chasing each other, and they showed this thing all over the industry. As soon as a guy wanted to go to Europe, they said "Get Diplomatic Courier, show the son-of-a-bitch the picture — it was made on the stage." All the stuff on the street, everything, was shot with transparencies, like the Trocadero scene. (By "the stage", Hathaway also means the Fox back lot, which was very convincingly dressed up, as in the Trieste scene). — Henry Hathaway.

There was a time when a Tyrone Power picture would always be assured of top billing on Saturday nights. By 1952, however, his career had well and truly stalled. Yet he was soon to pull himself out of the doldrums with "King of the Khyber Rifles" which was soon followed by the smash hit, "The Eddy Duchin Story". His last film, "Witness for the Prosecution" (1958) was one of his greatest successes. But with "Diplomatic Courier", Power is strictly marking time. — JHR writing as George Addison.

Terrific example of the post-war suspense flick

[jacksflicks · 9/10 · 28 July 2006]

This is one of the best of the post-war intrigue/suspense flicks. What all of these have in common is the gritty black-and-white look of cities that haven't recovered from the war, usually in ruins, to varying degrees. (Think The Third Man, The Search, Berlin Express) There are no ruins in Diplomatic Courier, but you still get that shadowy, melancholy, sinister, exotic atmosphere that marks the genre.

Others, who pick apart the "accuracy" or logic of certain parts of Diplomatic Courier are pedantic prigs who don't know how to watch a movie. Sure, there are a few lapses, but in such a fast-paced movie, with so many plot points, it's amazing that the story holds together so well. This is due, I think, to Henry Hathoway, one of the great line directors of the studio system. Add the cinematography of the great Lucien Ballard, and you have a handsome production.

As for the cast, who cares if Bogart would have been better? Tyrone Power is, well, Tyrone Power. No, he's no Bogart, but who doesn't enjoy just watching him? And he is one of the great action film stars. And we have Patricia Neal, at her most beautiful and vampish, in that mink coat for Ty Power to nestle his face in. I think the Power-Neal thing is essential because it serves as a light-hearted counterpoint to the severe, portentous relationship of Power-Neff.

And speaking of Hildegard Neff, I agree with a previous reviewer, that this film showcases the talent and beauty of one of the finest actresses that Hollywood ever trashed.

Solid Cloak and Dagger - Diplomatic Courier

[arthur_tafero · 7/10 · 11 December 2021]

This film has more twists than a Chubby Checker Lounge. You need a scorecard for the good guys and the bad guys. What makes the film so good is that you will be wrong at least twice in this movie. Tyrone Power does a fine job as the courier, and Patricia Neal is interesting in her role as well. Look for cameos from such highly paid actors (a few years later) such as Charles Bronson, Lee Marvin, and Karl Malden. This was a film made to order for Hitchcock; what a pity he didnt get to do it.

Been there, done that

[mikeolliffe · 3/10 · 1 July 2019]

Two friends, one of whom might be dead, an attractive stateless woman who was involved with the dead man, wet-cobbled streets, zither music - where have I seen all this before? In the far superior The Third Man, which appeared three years earlier. As some other reviewers have pointed out, the writing of Diplomatic Courier leaves a LOT to be desired. The 'McGuffin' would not have been a big deal, even when this turkey was first released. On the plus side, crisp black-and-white photography, interesting settings that probably don't exist anymore, and a well-liked cast (sadly, misused). Final note: this makes The Third Man look really, really good (good anyway, but you'll appreciate it even more.

Pleasant rememberances

[pnay75-1 · 3 October 2002]

I SAW THIS MOVIE IN THE 50s, but I remember that it was well played by Tyrone Power and Hildegarde Neff, with solid direction and good B&W photography.Charles Bronson ( uncredited ), had only a few seconds on the screen, but I remember vividly that he made a tremendous impression, and I was sure he would attain stardom.

No Diplomacy Here

[bkoganbing · 6/10 · 18 May 2010]

For his one and only film in the espionage genre 20th Century Fox cast Tyrone Power as a Diplomatic Courier working for the State Department during the early Cold War years. In his position for the Department, Power gets a real hot assignment.

The thing here is that Power is not an espionage agent, but he's to make contact with one in the person of James Millican who is bringing out of the Soviet Union nothing less than the plans to invade Yugoslavia which had declared its independence of the Warsaw Pact that involved the Soviets and their Eastern European satellites. Something that the Central Intelligence Agency and the State Department would like to know.

Millican gets killed by the Soviets, but they don't get the document and it becomes up to Power to find it, backed at a distance by the CIA in the form of Stephen McNally. There are two women in the picture, native Hildegarde Knef and American widow Patricia Neal and one of them is an enemy agent.

Unfortunately Diplomatic Courier spills the beans a little too early for my taste and tells the audience just who is who among the women. Spoiled the film for me.

A whole lot of soon to be prominent players had small bit roles in Diplomatic Courier, folks like E.G. Marshall, Charles Bronson, Lee Marvin. Karl Malden has a much bigger role as a kind of sidekick assigned to Power by McNally.

Diplomatic Courier is a dated, but still good espionage thriller from the Cold War giving Tyrone Power and the two female co-stars some very good roles.

Not bad, but it plays a bit like a comic book!

[planktonrules · 6/10 · 13 May 2008]

This espionage film is quite enjoyable and is truly a fascinating little curio from the Cold War. However, it also is quite silly at times and plays more like a comic book or perhaps a B-movie than a genuine thriller. While the performances are pretty good (in particular, I liked Karl Malden in one of his early roles), the writing isn't and often credibility is simply thrown out the window--with Power playing the part more like he's in an Indiana Jones movie than a spy picture.

Power plays a diplomatic courier who is sent to Salzburg to receive some information. Unfortunately, the man he is supposed to meet is murdered and Power isn't sure what to do next. The US army encourages him to go on a spy mission--not because they believe Power will complete it, but because they think the bad guys will tip their hand while trying to kill Power!! Sadly, they don't bother telling Power this and he just seems to blunder into things.

In the midst of all this are two ladies--one of which is OBVIOUSLY bad since they keep accidentally meeting and one is possibly on the side of good. These two subplots are the biggest problem with the film. With the first woman, it's obvious to everyone in the audience that she's evil--after all, despite Europe being very large, they just happen to meet again and again?! With the second, her role wasn't bad, but having Power jump into the thick of things to rescue her was just silly. Tyrone Power was a fine actor--but here they have him playing more of an action hero and it really made the film seem rather cheesy.

Still, despite some plot problems, it's a decent little time-passer with an interesting glimpse into a part of our history you seldom see on film.

Exciting but Not Memorable

[Handlinghandel · 6/10 · 31 July 2005]

Tyrone Power had charm. Not much here. He tried hard, in movies like "Nightmare Alley." Not here.

Hildegard Knef is the real female lead. I must admit that I found her somewhat uninteresting. Believable in the role: yes, certainly. But she has little screen presence, at least here.

Patricia Neal is a superb actress and exciting personality. Hollywood didn't seem to know how to use her. She was in some good movies (including "Hud" and "The Hasty Heart." She was in some not so good movies but thrilling in them; and I am thinking, yes, of "The Fountainhead." Here she has a rather small part and she seems miscast. Additionally, in one scene, she wears a truly hideous hat and is filmed from the most unflattering angle possible. Could this have been intentional? If not, somehow a beautiful woman was made, for five or ten minutes, to look like a complete frump.

Fair Cold War Movie

[januszlvii · 7/10 · 28 May 2021]

Diplomatic Courier is a good but not great Cold War movie. The biggest plus was Karl Malden in a supporting role (Sgt. Ernie. Guelvada) who keeps saving the life of the hero. Mike Kells ( Tyrone Power) who is a diplomatic courier ( basically a postman who ends up in espionage without the proper training ( unlike an actual spy)). The biggest weakness is Patricia Neal ( Joan Ross) who does not look nor act like she is from Indiana, and is the "femme fatale"/traitor. Her final scene you see her mention the contempt she has for her one drugstore hometown and the flag. The good girl is double agent Janine Betki ( Hildegarde. Knef), and it takes Kells the entire picture to figure out who is good and who is bad. Spoilers ahead: It is actually Ernie who catches Joan ( one of the numerous times he saves Mike). Yes, Kells does end up with Janine but it takes until the last scene to as Kells put it "See her as a girl." You can find this movie on YouTube. Again 7/10 stars.

Solid but not required viewing

[ThomasColquith · 6/10 · 29 December 2021]

"Diplomatic Courier" is not the best film when looking at it from a modern context, but for its time in the post war era and the incipient Cold War, it was probably somewhat profound. It also seemed a seminal work in terms of the developing action/spy/thriller genre which would later give us films such as "North by Northwest", "Dr. No", and "From Russia with Love." So "Diplomatic Courier" seems to be a stepping stone to some of the much more familiar work that is now remembered. The film itself is ok though perhaps overly complex and it becomes a chore to stay focused long enough to follow all the threads. Tyrone Power is good as usual as the lead here. I will rate this film a 6/10, not a must see but a deep cut that can be watched if you're a big fan of this genre.

Excellent fifties spy thriller

[robert-temple-1 · 8/10 · 2 December 2014]

This is a superb espionage film set early in the Cold War. Tyrone Power makes the perfect lead, because he always had that quality of looking innocent and puzzled in the trickiest of situations, inevitably summoning plenty of noble resolution while never looking worldly wise about it. In this story, he is a diplomatic courier working for the American State Department. It is his job to carry important diplomatic communications by hand from country to country. He carries them in a briefcase handcuffed to his wrist. He wears two watches at once, one for the time at home and one for the time of his destination. However, Power becomes embroiled in a fantastically complicated espionage affair and ends up being used as a pawn in a complex game of intrigue which few can understand. He become involved with two mysterious women, who may or may not be femmes fatale. One is Patricia Neal, who plays a wealthy American widow on the make. She comes across as too good to be true, and for a while we suspect her of overacting. But then her true nature comes out, and we discover how evil she really is. When she starts playing her character's true self, she is terrifying. The other mysterious woman is played by the German actress Hildegard Neff, a mysterious beauty who was at the peak of her American popularity at this time. The film also features Karl Malden in a supporting role, where he is particularly good and shows the promise of his career which was to come. Much of the film is shot in Trieste, which one of the characters describes as being a hotbed of spies of all kinds, like Lisbon during the War. This film has a great deal of postwar atmosphere and suspense and is only one notch down from the more brilliant works of Hitchcock and Carroll Reed. The director was Henry Hathaway, an old pro who could make the telephone book look interesting, The film is full of double agents, betrayal, duplicity, baffling situations, and murder. The film moves at quite a pace and is never dull for a moment. The availability of this classic now on DVD is a welcome addition to the finer cinematic portrayals of early Cold War paranoia and deception. It is interesting historically as well as cinematically, and we get to see a lot of location shots which evoke the era.

Diplomatic Courier

[CinemaSerf · 6/10 · 11 November 2023]

"Mike" (Tyrone Power) is a US State Department courier who is sent on a routine, but dangerous, mission to Trieste where he is to rendezvous with a passenger on a train then collect and repatriate an important document. Of course, the Soviets are also on the trail of this transaction and when it all goes wrong, "Mike" finds himself embroiled in something far more sinister than he has experienced before. He is now at the behest of his new military handler "Col. Cagle" (Stephen McNally) and his wily sergeant "Guelvada" (a lively effort from Karl Malden) as he must try to find which of two women - "Janine" (Hildegard Knef) or "Joan" (Patricia Neal) might be mixed up - or not - in this espionage drama with more crosses than a Papal mass. Now I found the mystery here a little lacking. Serendipity just takes too an implausible a role in a wine bar and from there on in I felt that the jeopardy was rather compromised. Still, Henry Hathaway uses this workmanlike cast to good effect helping to create an atmosphere of mistrust and peril with nobody quite sure who is trustworthy and who is just as likely to put a knife between the shoulder blades. Trains also usually serve well as vehicles for thrillers - the movement, dimly lit carriages and squeaky rails all contribute to the heightened sense of tension as we near the reveal. Perhaps if you don't spot the huge great clue early on, you might get more from this well paced thriller.

Top cast in this edge of seat early Cold War thriller

[SimonJack · 9/10 · 16 October 2017]

"Diplomatic Courier" is an outstanding spy, action thriller set in 1952 Europe where many countries were yet divided by occupation forces since World War II. The movie is based on a novel by Peter Cheyney, a British writer of suspense, crime and mysteries. He had served in World War I and was a police reporter and crime investigator in the 1920s.

The cast hosts several prominent actors with magnificent roles. All give superb performances. This is one of the best and demanding roles Tyrone Power had in his career. He is a State Department courier who gets embroiled in espionage. He is prodded for romance, clubbed more than twice, tossed in the sea to drown, almost run over by a hit and turn driver, drugged and tortured, and caught up in fist fights. Patricia Neal is seductive as Joan Ross and Stephen McNally plays the tough-as-nails head of Army CID, Col. Mark Cagle.

Hildegarde Knef is excellent as a double agent, Janine Betki. Karl Malden has a wonderful supporting role as Master Sgt. Ernie Guelvada of the CID. He comes to Mike's rescue a number of times. Lee Marvin has a small part as an MP, and the yet unknown Charles Bronson has a silent part as a Russian agent. German actor Stefan Schnabel plays a familiar role as Rasumny Platov, the head Soviet agent.

This film is a fine example of a sub-genre of movies that began almost after the end of WW II. Cold War spy thrillers continued until the fall of the Soviet Union in 1991. The best years these flicks were the late 40s through the 1960s. After that there were fewer such films.

An added plus for this film is that it was made during the post-war occupation period. For several years after the war – until 1952, Allied forces had a presence in some western and eastern European countries. They helped maintain order and provide police and security protection as those countries got back on their feet. In some countries, American, British and French had military presence along with or opposite Russian units. In the Eastern bloc counties, the Soviets held sway all alone.

So, this film has a lot of suspense, action, and movement, with wonderful cinematography of some of the European locations. The intrigue, action, scenery, setting, script with sub-plots, and excellent acting and direction all add up to a most enjoyable and entertaining movie. One that also gives a good picture of the climate and times in the early Cold War years right after World War II. For that reason, "Diplomatic Courier" also has historical value for any film library.

Good story amateurishly executed

[JimB-4 · 4/10 · 7 February 2006]

There's a lot to like in this spy adventure, but it is overwhelmed completely by innumerable examples of silliness in the plot, inexplicable coincidences, and hammy acting in the supporting roles. Actually, all the performances are fine, with the exception of Stephen McNally and Karl Malden as an intelligence officer and his sergeant. Malden, normally a superb actor, seems here to have been wired to a car battery, so amped up is his portrayal. Though his character is a normal enough fellow, Malden plays him at fever pitch and volume. Tyrone Power is very good as the courier over his head in international intrigue, and Patricia Neal and Hildegarde Knef are excellent as women who may or may not be what they seem. But the plot contrivances erase what believability the story might have had, with good guys and bad guys both showing up just when it's convenient for them to do so, realism notwithstanding. The print I saw, too, suggests that at least one scene was edited out before release, as Power's casual departure to the airport early in the film dissolves into the middle of a completely unexplained chase sequence. Another interesting note is some actually rather well-done special effects shots, particularly when Power narrowly misses being run down by a car which does run down someone else. It's clear on reexamination that neither Power nor the other actor was filmed at the same time as the car, but the effect is rather startlingly well done for 1952. It does appear, too, that none of the principal actors actually filmed in Trieste, as almost all of their scenes there seem to have been done with either rear projection or doubles. Tyrone Power completists will want to see this, as will those collecting bit roles by Lee Marvin and Charles Bronson, but otherwise this is almost a waste of time, despite some real promise.

Tyrone Power as a diplomatic courier gets into any amount of trouble

[clanciai · 9/10 · 1 July 2018]

This brilliant thriller by Henry Hathaway takes you for a ride into nightmare complications of cold war terror, spy intrigues and very doubtful women. Patricia Neal is a rich widow who does anything to get Tyrone Power hooked, while Hildegard Knef is in a less favourable position and must arouse overwhelming suspicions, especially as her best friend (and Tyrone Power's) gets murdered in her compartment in the train. Tyrone Power's fierce suspicion of her appears as somewhat unnecessary and unmotivated as almost a flaw in the script, but when you understand the bond between the two men you must accept it, especially since anything he has to do with her brings him into constantly more trouble.

The force of the film is the splendid scenery, first on the train and then in Trieste. It is clearly inspired by "The Third Man", many nocturnal Trieste scenes immediately brings memories of "The Third Man" to mind, and there is even cither music. The film is fireworks all the way, and although something like this never could happen in reality (like any James Bond yarn), it still makes sense and is a marvel of composition. The dialogue gunfire will keep you busy all the way.