A Cold War thriller in the vein of The Third Man, also directed by Carol Reed. A shame it's not more widely known, because it's actually pretty good. Sure, it could've used Graham Greene --the story & dialogue are pedestrian, but Reed still shoots the hell out of it, and the Berlin location produces some amazing scenary, particularly during the long escape from the east-side sequence that harkens back to Reed's earlier Odd Man Out.

An underrated film. Mason has seldom been better.

A less-than-satisfactory attempt at suspense, Reed may deliver some moments of photographic excellence but the narrative just isn't cutting it. The overbearing score really wore this experience down at the start, in fact, the movie would have benefited from some subtlety in almost every field. Not an entirely regrettable watch but this film wants to be much more important than it is.

James Mason carries off the role of Ivo Kern superbly, giving the character real depth. The ending also reminds me why many holywood films these days are so weak.