Saboteur-1942

Director Alfred Hitchcock

Starring Robert Cummings, Priscilla Lake

Top 250 Films #236

Scott’s Review #98

Reviewed July 9, 2014

Grade: B+

Saboteur (1942) is a very early Alfred Hitchcock film that served as a blueprint for his masterpieces in the years to come.

The story follows a common theme among Hitchcock thrillers- the falsely accused man. An aircraft factory worker, Barry Kane, is falsely accused of an act of sabotage that kills his best friend.

Only Kane and the audience know the true culprit and set out on a quest for his innocence and to find and capture the real culprit.

The film then begins a tale of adventure, cross-country hijinks, romance, and political espionage, similar to the Hitchcock classic North by Northwest (1959), which followed years later.

This film contains some excellent scenes- the traveling Carnie train adventure, the blind man, and the climactic chase scene atop the Statue of Liberty are fantastic.

Saboteur (1942) is a bit raw, and the chemistry between the leads, Robert Cummings and Priscilla Lane, is poor, but an early Hitchcock film to be appreciated.