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Ministry of Fear follows Stephen Neale (Ray Milland), a man just released from a mental asylum in the middle of World War II. After a seemingly innocent visit to a festival, he finds himself in the middle of a conspiracy, and pursued by Nazi agents trying to capture or kill him.
There were several incentives to watch this. First, it's a fairly notable film noir and we're in #Noirvember, of course; second, it's directed by Fritz Lang, who I've enjoyed watching so far; and third, it stars Ray Milland, who I thought was excellent in Dial M for Murder, and I've been meaning to watch more from.
As far as those three, the film delivers the intrigue and fun of a solid noir, with a good dose of twists to keep you guessing. Also, Lang's direction is pretty effective, if not as flashy as some of the other features I've seen from him. Finally, Milland is very good as Neale, transmitting the confusion of a regular man thrown into an unlikely scenario. He is joined by Marjorie Reynolds and Carl Esmond, as two siblings that help him.
But despite the fun that I might have had, I won't deny the fact that I was expecting a bit more from this. The plot is well executed all around, but it's fairly bland. You kinda get the feeling of how a lot of darker elements, especially regarding Neale's past, are glossed over. There's also a bit of ludicrousness to how some of the events unfold, like the whole cake thing.
Despite those limitations, Ministry of Fear still manages to be a reliable and engaging film noir, with some solid performances, good intrigue, and some neat, tense scenes.
Grade:
MINISTRY OF FEAR
(1944, Lang)
A film noir
(1944, Lang)
A film noir
It's the way they work -- all around you... knowing about everybody, everything -- where to find you."
Ministry of Fear follows Stephen Neale (Ray Milland), a man just released from a mental asylum in the middle of World War II. After a seemingly innocent visit to a festival, he finds himself in the middle of a conspiracy, and pursued by Nazi agents trying to capture or kill him.
There were several incentives to watch this. First, it's a fairly notable film noir and we're in #Noirvember, of course; second, it's directed by Fritz Lang, who I've enjoyed watching so far; and third, it stars Ray Milland, who I thought was excellent in Dial M for Murder, and I've been meaning to watch more from.
As far as those three, the film delivers the intrigue and fun of a solid noir, with a good dose of twists to keep you guessing. Also, Lang's direction is pretty effective, if not as flashy as some of the other features I've seen from him. Finally, Milland is very good as Neale, transmitting the confusion of a regular man thrown into an unlikely scenario. He is joined by Marjorie Reynolds and Carl Esmond, as two siblings that help him.
But despite the fun that I might have had, I won't deny the fact that I was expecting a bit more from this. The plot is well executed all around, but it's fairly bland. You kinda get the feeling of how a lot of darker elements, especially regarding Neale's past, are glossed over. There's also a bit of ludicrousness to how some of the events unfold, like the whole cake thing.
Despite those limitations, Ministry of Fear still manages to be a reliable and engaging film noir, with some solid performances, good intrigue, and some neat, tense scenes.
Grade: