Plot: Barry Cain (Robert Cummings), an easygoing young worker at an aircraft factory, is catapulted into the heart of a horrible crime when he accidentally bumps into a man at work - and minutes later, the factory erupts in flames. The authorities believe he's the saboteur. But Barry knows the man he bumped into was the real saboteur; and he begins a frantic chase across the country to find him, dodging the police on one hand and the real saboteurs on the other. Along the way he meets beautiful Pat Martin (Priscilla Lane), who at first tries to turn him in, but becomes his trusted partner in the search. Then they're caught by the ruthless saboteurs. Will they live to warn the police that the country's security is in terrible danger?
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High Points:
- Nail-biting suspense with deliciously unbelievable twists of fate
- Frantic, exhilarating pace - much like a Hardy Boys or Nancy Drew novel
- Endearingly naive characters who combine youthful enthusiasm and patriotic determination
- Sweet, fresh romance
- Smoothly creepy bad guys
Could Be Better:
- Nothing! This movie is a gem!
Possible Concerns:
- Barry and Pat travel together across the country; nothing indecent is done or even implied, but they are alone together for many days and nights.
- At one place in the movie, a woman thinks Barry and Pat are a couple who has been out doing immoral things at night; she is quickly chastised by another character and it is made clear that there is no inappropriate activity, but this did make me uncomfortable the first time I saw it.
Vicki's Vote: 6/5
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Review: Of all of my favorite early Hitchcock movies, Saboteur is one of the best. One improbable twist of fate follows another at a frantic pace that leaves you hanging onto the edge of your seat for dear life, carried along by the intelligent and golden-hearted Barry Cain and Pat Martin as they try to outrun the oily, terrifying American villains. You will hold your breath right up to the silent and shocking final scene. To use a colloquial phrase, this is a Hardy Boys mystery on steroids.
The movie begins with a typical day in an ordinary (although already somewhat dark and creepy) aircraft factory in pre-WWII California. Barry Cain and his buddy are heading for lunch, and in the shuffle they accidentally bump into another worker, who drops his mail on the ground. Barry picks up the letters and glances at them before the man snatches his mail and stalks off with a snarl. The incident seems pointless - except that minutes later, the entire factory erupts into uncontrolled flames. The man with the mail shoves two "fire extinguishers" into Barry and his friend's hands, and they run off to fight the fire - but Barry watches in horror as his friend is engulfed by uncontrollable flames.
When the horror is over and Barry has done everything he could, he makes one more stop on his way home to comfort his friend's grieving mother. While he's there, the police come to the door. Barry Cain is wanted for sabotage: those fire extinguishers were filled with gasoline.
Barry flees, and the chase begins: a chase that covers thousands of miles and relies on the goodness of ordinary Americans, their patriotism and pure values. Along the way he wins the heart of Pat Martin, the beautiful fashion model who also happens to have a brilliant mind and a love for her country. It is a chase in pursuit of a very different kind of American - the American saboteur. What kind of man would try to destroy his own country? The naive American boy and girl soon find out; and it is a race against time as they try to track down the killers before they strike again - and evade the death that is following them across every mile.
I love this movie. The framework of the movie, a group of American saboteurs working undercover in the days just before WWII, is completely believable and historically likely; but it's so much more than believable. It's like a vivid dream. The possible becomes impossible - out in the open at a wealthy ball, Barry and Pat are surrounded by armed saboteurs hidden behind curtains and above stairwells; murder is committed in a theater of people watching a comedy; a handwritten cry for help is discovered just at the right time by just the right people. And the impossible becomes possible - two young people stand face to face with the deadly group of wealthy, oily saboteurs and cry out that love will win over hatred, every time.
This is also a movie that you can watch with middle schoolers and young teens (barring just the one line of dialogue that I mentioned in the first section). It is fast-paced and clean, a story of two typical young people faced with extraordinary situations. It's a thrilling celebration of patriotism and a cautionary tale of vigilance. Robert Cummings and Priscilla Lane do a wonderful job of reflecting youthful, wide-eyed optimism and sweet romance. In fact, I might even say that I recommended this movie for middle schoolers and young teens. I guarantee - you will be in suspense from the chilling beginning all the way to the shocking end!
