Good movie but grossly overrated

Good concept, poorly executed.

The best films of this genre always show a path and provide a takeaway for being a better person.

It is neither dumb nor smart enough to be fun, and spends way too much time with its boring human characters.

This is a wonderful treat for the experienced cineast, full of details, a brilliantly innovative script full of unexpected turns, Joseph Cotten rehearsing his character for "The Third Man", Orson Welles enjoying his part as a Turkish secret police chief speaking fluent Turkish to the full, a number of intriguing ladies, delightfully original fellow passengers, a murderer out of this world all the more scary for his total silence, in close association with a very treacherous traitor, marvellously exotic surroundings in Istanbul and Batumi, a film couldn't really get more exotic, and a lady waiting for her husband with not the slightest suspicion of what is going on, while he strenuously tries to explain it to her through the entire film, which in the end comes to a typical Wellesian/Amblerian surprise... A perfect thriller of thoroughly sustained entertainment until the very end.

Joseph Cotten (Howard Graham), Dolores Del Rio (Josette), Ruth Warwick (Stephanie Graham), Orson Welles (Colonel Haki), Everett Sloane (Kopenkin), Agnes Moorehead (Mrs Matthews), Frank Readick (Matthews), Jack Durant (Gobo), Eustace Wyatt (Dr Haller), Edgar Barrie (Kuvetli), Jack Moss (Banat), Hans Conried (magician), Stefan Schnabel (purser), Richard Bennett (captain), Shifra Haran (Mrs Haller), Robert Meltzer, Herbert Drake, Bill Roberts (stewards), Ivan Lebedeff (headwaiter), Frank Puglia (Haki's aide), Torben Meyer, Alex Melish (waiters), William Yetter, senior (driver), Irene Tedrow (Greek woman), George Sorel (hotel desk clerk), Harry Semels (man in night club), Edward Howard, Robert Willey (men).Directors: NORMAN FOSTER, ORSON WELLES. Screenplay: Joseph Cotten, Orson Welles, Ben Hecht, Richard Collins. Based on the 1940 novel by Eric Ambler. Film editor: Mark Robson. Photography: Karl Struss. Supervising art director: Orson Welles. Art directors: Albert S. D'Agostino and Mark-Lee Kirk. Set decorators: Darrell Silvera and Ross Dowd. Costumes designed by Edward Stevenson. Special effects: Vernon L. Walker. Music: Roy Webb. Music director: Constantin Bakaleinikoff. Song, "Three Little Words" (sung mostly in Turkish), by Bert Kalmar (lyrics) and Harry Ruby (music). Technical adviser: Eugen Sharin. Assistant director: Dewey Starkey. Sound recording: Bailey Fesler, Richard Van Hessen. Sound re-recording: James G. Stewart. RCA Sound System. Associate producer: Jack Moss. Producer: Orson Welles. Executive producer: George J. Schaefer. Copyright 12 February 1943 by RKO-Radio Pictures, Inc. A Mercury Production. New York opening at the Palace (as the main attraction on a double bill with Silver Skates): 18 March 1943. U.S. release: 12 February 1943. U.K. release: October 1943. Australian release: 11 February 1943. Sydney opening at the Mayfair: 5 February 1943. Australian length: 6,508 feet. 72 minutes. U.S. release length: 68 minutes. SYNOPSIS: A not over-bright American businessman tangles with Nazi spies in the Balkans.NOTES: The above details apply to the second (definitive) version of the film cut by Orson Welles. A first version was released on 7 August 1942. Welles re-cut the last scene on the hotel balcony and added a letter-reading framework. COMMENT: Despite Foster's name on the credits, this is a Welles film through and through. The climax is a real stunner and Jack Moss' performance as the silent assassin is absolutely chilling. This is his only on-camera appearance. A pity. He makes a marvelous menace. (He produced a few films including The Shepherd of the Hills in 1941). Eustace Wyatt also makes quite an impression as Haller/Muller, and Delores Del Rio, as usual, is wonderfully exotic. Prefiguring his role in "The Third Man", Joseph Cotten makes his bumbling American abroad utterly convincing. Attractively low-key photography, plus impressive sets, contribute effectively to the film's broodingly suspenseful atmosphere.

"Journey into Fear" is only a minor film from the likes of Orson Welles and Joseph Cotton. The idea is pretty good but the final results are disappointing. I expected something of interest to have occurred by about the opening 10 minutes. In my opinion, this didn't happen and I had to settle for what is just a routine film. The running time is only that of about 68 minutes but it seemed a lot longer somehow. The pace is rather leaden and the continuity confusing. Most of the film takes place on the sets that represent the large boat where leading man Joseph Cotton finds himself and wondering about the dangers he faces. Cotton gives a good performance and manages to overcome the shortcomings of "Journey into Fear" to a certain extent. Orson Welles makes a brief appearance as some foreign general but should have been in the film more. There are some moments of tension, it is true. If only Welles had been directing this, then the film would have been better.

The American ballistic expert and naval engineer Howard Graham (Joseph Cotton) is traveling with his wife Mrs. Stephanie Graham (Ruth Warrick) to Batumi by train. They stop in Istanbul to meet Kopeikin (Everett Sloane), who is the armaments representative of Graham's company, and he takes Graham to a nightclub to discuss business. Kopeikin introduces the dancer Josette Martel (Dolores Del Rio) to him and during the show, the magician invites Graham to go to the stage. The killer Banat (Jack Moss) tries to kill Graham, but hits the magician instead. Graham is forced to go to the Turkish police and Colonel Haki (Orson Welles) from the secret service shows him photograph of Banat, who has been hired by the Nazi Muller (Eustace Wyatt) to kill him. Haki asks Graham to travel to Batumi by steamship since it would be a safer trip. However, Graham stumbles over Banat and Muller, in the beginning of his journey into fear."Journey into Fear" is a deceptive classic with an entertaining spy story. With the names of Orson Welles, Joseph Cotton and Dolores Del Rio, any viewer would expect a great classic but the result is a disappointing plot. My vote is six.Title (Brazil): "Jornada do Pavor" ("Journey into Fear")