it is the rare 'crazy' movie that actually has something to say.

I wanted to like it more than I actually did... But much of the humor totally escaped me and I walked out only mildly impressed.

It's a good bad... and worth a popcorn matinée. While it's easy to lament what could have been...

Yes, absolutely, there is fun to be had, as well as many, many things to go boom, all amid an atmospheric urban jungle.

Inspired by the actual assassination of a Gestapo official in occupied Czechoslovakia, this World War II thriller from Fritz Lang follows the Nazis as they go to brutal measures to coerce the Czech assassin and those sheltering him to give him up. Clocking in at over two hours, the film feels on the long side with some subplots (such as a jealous fiancé) that could have easily been trimmed, but for the most part, it is a gripping ride thanks to several high quality performances. Brian Donlevy is never too remarkable as the assassin on the run, however, Anna Lee is excellent as the young Czech woman who shelters him and then finds herself conflicted with whether or not to turn him in after the Nazis take her father and others hostage. Under heavy makeup, Walter Brennan is also superb as Lee's philosophical father, though the most impressive turn comes from Gene Lockhart as a cunning Czech traitor with some highly memorable exasperation scenes towards the end. Not all the actors are that good; Alexander Granach overplays his part as the chief of the Gestapo and the rest of the Nazis in the film are pretty interchangeable. The wide range of American accents heard throughout also makes the Czech setting occasionally hard to buy. That said, the story comes with a welcome universality with Donlevy's internal dilemmas certainly resonating, torn between giving himself up so that his fellow countrymen will not suffer and staying in for the long haul, knowing how instrumental he can be in helping to thwart his country's oppressors.

"Die if you must for a cause that is just." It's a line from a poem which becomes a song of defiance, written by a Czech civilian taken hostage by and awaiting execution at the hands of the Nazis. It's also the core mantra for many of the Resistance heroes who face death for the sake of the greater national good. The plot of Fritz Lang's film, adapted from a story by Bertolt "Bert" Brecht and loosely based on real events, concerns the assassination of the "Hangman of Europe" Reinhard Heydrich (Hans Heinrich von Twardowski) in occupied Prague. Naturally the Gestapo are all over the case, but their efforts to nail the assassin are thwarted at every turn by Resistance sympathisers – many of them ordinary folk turned potential betrayers. The chief inspector is Gruber (Alexander Granach), a bawdy, beer- swilling cop with a nose for sniffing out lies. But the prime suspect, Svoboda (Brian Donlevy), is his intellectual equal, casting a web of deceit that entangles innocent witness Mascha (Anna Lee), whose father is subsequently captured and used as leverage. Mascha's dilemma is a Sophie's Choice that encapsulates the terrible decision at the heart of all citizens living under oppression: Speak out and her family will be shot; say nothing and only her father dies. Hangmen Also Die! was made after Lang's emigration from Nazi Germany in the 1930s and before his move into hard noir with Scarlet Street and The Big Heat. It was produced during wartime yet somehow avoids many of the demonising clichés that could potentially turn depictions of the Third Reich into a pantomime of evil (even if some of the performances are a tad broad). The precision and nuance by which such a complex array of characters is mapped out is remarkable – the stuff of AAA television in our current era. Lang and his co-writers somehow make it all work, with virtually every scene a nail-biting moral or ethical decision, or some devastating revelation. It's the leanness of the narrative, with every word and frame employed to maximum effect, that makes this level of intensity possible. Special mention should go to the great female roles here, from factory workers to fruit sellers, all taking their punishment for their part in the Resistance effort. Mascha in particular could have been a hysterical wuss, but she's as calm, capable, and principled as the men plotting each other's doom. She never asked for this – yet she's the one making the sacrifice regardless.The mix of political intrigue, melodrama, and hard-boiled noir may not sit comfortably in many minds but on screen it's a masterful balancing act. Just as with M, Lang dares to paint his subjects in shades of grey (the Resistance fighters are no more pure of heart than the Gestapo police are pure evil), and the results are utterly engrossing and grimly plausible. If you've seen Lang's big-hitters, it's time to try out this lesser-known little classic.

Director Fritz Lang at His most Unbridled, Self-Conscious, and Political. His quick Exit from Hitler's Germany and its Repressive Regime must Have Been of Considerable Effect on the Stylish Expressionist.Here His Trademark Shadows, brought to Life by Cinematographer James Wong Howe are Powerful Surreal Images that Linger in the Mind. But the most Surreal is the Overblown and quite Comical Cartoon Characters of Nazi Leader Nutcases.It seems that Lang just Couldn't Restrain Himself as He Painted these Buffoons so Wildly and Broadly that Surely Their Own Quirks of Knuckle Cracking and Outrageous Behavior were Added for Effect but Come Off as Ridiculous.However, if Viewed as a Highly Stylized and Grandiose Representation, this and the Films other Mesmerizing Elements can Have an Appeal. Rooting for the Noble Victims of the Nazi's Torturing Brutality is so in Your Face that One has to Wonder why Lang Chose to be Overly Melodramatic and Bizarre at Times. Wasn't the Behavior of these Nazis Evident enough for Audiences to Hiss without Making Them Gesture Wildly and Overreact to the Point of Distraction. Seems Not So in the Mind of the Filmmakers and the Sledgehammer to the Head is what Lang Thought was Necessary for Anyone at the Time Who Wasn't Paying Attention to File in Lock Step and Get On Board for the War Against Fascism. Anyone who was Not With the Sentiments in the Movie by 1943 was Unlikely to be Pushed Into Submission by this Type of Pictorial Preaching. The Film is a Fascinating Study of the Art of Propaganda and the Talent of a Group Effort is a Nod for Collectivism, just like the Solidarity of the Czech People.

Hangmen Also Die! (1943) *** (out of 4) Based on the true story of the assassination of Nazi Reinard Heydrich, known to many as the "Hangman." Lang's story focuses on the aftermath of the events and the terror that the Nazi party much on the Czech people while trying to find the real assassin (Brian Donlevy). Lang's film was released the same year as the similar themed HITLER'S MADMAN but there's no question that this is the better of the two, although I still walked away somewhat disappointed. For the most part this film is a success but there's no denying that it has some major problems in its story as well as a few actors who are really miscast. The biggest problem in the cast is Walter Brennan who never seems very comfortable in his role as a Professor who finds himself being held by the Nazi party because they believe he knows the identity of the assassin. Donlevy makes for a solid lead, although at times one thinks he's way too stiff for the part. I think the sternness actually works in his favor but there are times where you'll wish he'd loosen up just a bit. I also wasn't too impressed with Anna Lee as I felt she underplayed several scenes here including a really bad one early on when she tries to tell her father that she thinks she knows who the assassin is. Gene Lockhart, on the other hands, steals the film in each scene that he's in. He certainly plays the type of villain that people will want to hiss out and he's perfect in each scene. This is especially true towards the end when he becomes the main suspect after years of helping the Nazi party. Horror fans will want to spot Dwight Frye in one brief scene. What makes the film worth sitting through is the actual story itself. The assassination and the following events are a fascinating case and for the most part Lang shows this quite well. His direction is top-notch from the very beginning and I thought he did a remarkable job as the tension starts to build on all the characters involved. The final twenty-minutes feature some very tense moments and they're also quite claustrophobic as the noose starts to get more and more tight. Another major plus is that the film never slows down as the longer running time actually goes by pretty fast without feeling overlong. I think some of the stuff could have been cut out including the entire bit with Lee and her relationship with her fiancé (Dennis O'Keefe) who thinks she's having an affair. I would have liked this to have been cut out with perhaps more attention spent to the actual assassination. With that said, even though one would wish for a masterpiece, we at least get an entertaining film that manages to keep us in suspense as everything begins to come out. This is certainly far from a great movie but there's enough here to make it worth viewing.