13 Rue Madeleine (1947)

Directed by Henry Hathaway. Starring James Cagney, Walter Abel, Richard Conte, Annabella, Sam Jaffe, Frank Latimore, Melville Cooper.

WWII spy drama depicting a fictionalized version of the O.S.S. (called “O77” here because bureau head William Donovan objected to the story). Cagney is put in charge of whipping a group of recruits into shape for intelligence service, fully aware that one of the candidates is an undercover German agent. On the dry side, but not bad, and Cagney is always an arresting onscreen presence. Multiple documentary-style passages in the first half seek to provide information and context, but transitioning into a pulpy espionage thriller later on makes those moments feel even clunkier. Ends on a note of bleak triumph that’s both deserving for the dirty games being played and refreshing for not trying sell miraculous heroics. Try to spot a number of soon-to-be familiar faces in unbilled bit parts, including E. G. Marshall, Red Buttons, and Karl Malden.

63/100