The beginning of "13 Rue Madeleine" is quite sloppy. The prologue opens with an unnecessary narration in which the audience is briefed on the methods of recruitment for O.S.S. agents in World War II. It plays less like a movie and more like a documentary (a cheesy one, too).
Once the plot kicks in, however, it is a great deal better. James Cagney stars as Bob Sharkey, one of the recruitment officers/trainers who is told there is a German mole in their operation.
Sharkey plants traps for the mole and figures out who it is... but he has no idea that there are actually TWO moles in his recruitment operation. He ends up briefing the other mole and divulging secret plans for a "fake" mission set up to trap the other German.
The two German spies exchange information regularly so the outed man is given the information and manages to avoid falling into the trap; he actually outsmarts Sharkey and joins the rest of the O.S.S. agents on a real mission into France to find a V-2 rocket.
Piecing together the clues, Sharkey goes behind enemy lines to find the moles - but is captured by Germans at 13 Rue Madeleine.
This movie has so many twisty turns that it reminded me of "The Usual Suspects," "Spy Game" and "Basic." (As far as modern films go.) It's better than "Basic" and "Spy Game" put together, though.
As an espionage thriller its dramatic irony is delectable (I hate to use clichéd descriptions here but it's the only word that comes to mind). I really loved the setup (after the sloppy opening narration which I hated) and the way the plot moves - and the pace at which it unfolds - is excellent.
A lot of modern thrillers are lazy and have cheap gimmick endings. "13 Rue Madeleine" didn't insult my intelligence at all. The acting is very good and Cagney delivers another great performance.
I know I'm using the word "great" quite often to describe various elements of this film, but that's the word that best sums it up: "Great." Flawless? No. But very entertaining, very smart, and very good.
Once the plot kicks in, however, it is a great deal better. James Cagney stars as Bob Sharkey, one of the recruitment officers/trainers who is told there is a German mole in their operation.
Sharkey plants traps for the mole and figures out who it is... but he has no idea that there are actually TWO moles in his recruitment operation. He ends up briefing the other mole and divulging secret plans for a "fake" mission set up to trap the other German.
The two German spies exchange information regularly so the outed man is given the information and manages to avoid falling into the trap; he actually outsmarts Sharkey and joins the rest of the O.S.S. agents on a real mission into France to find a V-2 rocket.
Piecing together the clues, Sharkey goes behind enemy lines to find the moles - but is captured by Germans at 13 Rue Madeleine.
This movie has so many twisty turns that it reminded me of "The Usual Suspects," "Spy Game" and "Basic." (As far as modern films go.) It's better than "Basic" and "Spy Game" put together, though.
As an espionage thriller its dramatic irony is delectable (I hate to use clichéd descriptions here but it's the only word that comes to mind). I really loved the setup (after the sloppy opening narration which I hated) and the way the plot moves - and the pace at which it unfolds - is excellent.
A lot of modern thrillers are lazy and have cheap gimmick endings. "13 Rue Madeleine" didn't insult my intelligence at all. The acting is very good and Cagney delivers another great performance.
I know I'm using the word "great" quite often to describe various elements of this film, but that's the word that best sums it up: "Great." Flawless? No. But very entertaining, very smart, and very good.