Greenes Please don't spend money on this.

Brendon Jones It’s fine. It's literally the definition of a fine movie. You’ve seen it before, you know every beat and outcome before the characters even do. Only question is how much escapism you’re looking for.

Sameer Callahan It really made me laugh, but for some moments I was tearing up because I could relate so much.

Bessie Smyth Great story, amazing characters, superb action, enthralling cinematography. Yes, this is something I am glad I spent money on.

Robert J. Maxwell In the 30s and 40s, when Warner Brothers got hold of a social or political philosophy they didn't monkey around. In "Espionage Agent," released in 1939 when America was neutral and would remain so for another couple of years, Warners gives us a heads up on who the bad guys are.Brenda Marshall, desperate and broke, in the middle of the Spanish Civil War, stumbles into the German Consulate and begs them for shelter. They give it to her -- forged passport and all -- with the proviso that she go to America and spy for them.On the ship, she meets all-American Joel McRea, they fall in love and get married. She forgets about her agreement with the Germans until one of them shows up and reminds her of it -- and don't forget those forged papers. She tells all to her husband. The couple travel to Switzerland to unravel this tangled web of bent allegiances and threats.The Nazis are never named, although the uniforms are suggestive. I'm not sure Germany is even mentioned. It's mainly "them" and "they" and "their kind." The Nazis come in three types. The thugs, the most numerous, are brutal and slimy. They do the wet work. Their skulls are misshapen or their jaws too large for their faces. The middle men are like Martin Kosleck, icy, smiling, holding his cigarette in a fancy European way, and so forth. Kosleck himself, born into a Jewish family, was a refugee from Hitler who looked so much like Goebbels that he managed to play him on screen five times. There is always a Nazi boss who runs the spies. As usual, he's tall, distinguished looking, gray haired, suave, and has a thin black mustache. He speaks with a British accent and carries a Luger.Joel McRea could never play a Nazi. Not only didn't he look or sound enough like a Nazi -- that wouldn't necessarily have been a hindrance -- but he didn't have the acting range to pull it off. No, he could never play a Nazi. He would have had to stretch to play a man with devalued impulses, no matter how well he stifled them.Brenda Marshall is the dame caught in a moral vice. She cares nothing for the Nazis but in revealing her circumstances she may lose the man she loves or, at the least, cause him to end his career with the Foreign Service. Like McRea's, her acting is reliable and straight out of the Hollywood lost wax process. She has a piercing stare, no matter what the rest of her features are doing. I'm not sure the camera ever catches her blinking. At the same time, she looks more attractive here than in any of the other films I've seen her in, like "The Sea Hawk" and "Captains of the Clouds." She looks spotless, dry cleaned and pressed, even sexy. She was married for years to William Holden, whom she evidently nagged constantly.You know, though, taken all in all, the movie isn't as exciting as it ought to be. The tempo is fast. The scenes don't drag. Warner Brothers' scenes never drag. But the plot is surprisingly dull and director Lloyd Bacon adds little vitality to the proceedings. There is no subtlety in it. The actors hit their marks and say their lines. The camera is placed where it is most effective. A more talented and innovative director, Hitchcock, for instance, could have turned this into much more than it is.

LCShackley In these days, when many are more concerned about the rights of terrorists than the security of our country, a simple old movie like ESPIONAGE AGENT reminds us that no country can afford to relax its vigilance against terrorists within its borders.Joel McCrea, on the verge of making one of the best WW2 spy pictures of all (Hitchcock's FOREIGN CORRESPONDENT, 1940), plays a likable US diplomat who makes the mistake of falling for a woman with a shady past. Orphaned in Europe, his wife Brenda was recruited by German spies, and now that she's married into the diplomatic corps, her handlers want her to use her connections for further infiltration. The two lovers decide to play their own double game to bring down the Germans. There's nothing extraordinary about the film. It's simply done, with solid acting and a taut script with no wasted scenes (and no money wasted on actual location shoots). What makes it seem so special is its timing: being released just as WW2 openly broke out in Europe, and the danger of spies became more of a real threat to free countries everywhere. There's also a nice balance between the spy plot, the romance plot, and some humorous bits involving annoying American tourists.Just like today's terrorists, the German saboteurs operate under a neutral-sounding front: the WORLD PEACE ORGANIZATION. Early in the picture, discussing the government's reluctance to do something about saboteurs, a high-ranking US official asks a question that rings true here in the post-9/11 world: "Will we as a nation ever learn the difference between tolerance and stupidity?" Trivia bit: keep your eyes open for Clark Kent AND Perry White from the old SUPERMAN TV series.And contrary to a previous poster, this film is not in the least confused about which war it's about. The opening scenes, with the father of McCrea's character, take place around WW1. Then there's a very clear narration bringing us up to the late 1930s, and there are several references later on to "20 years ago" (meaning the World War). Someone must have been dozing.

blanche-2 Joel McCrea is a member of the foreign service who inadvertently marries a part-time spy in "Espionage Agent." This is a very interesting film for several reasons. War is about to break out in Europe, and the U.S. is planning to stay neutral, and in fact, in one scene, an American broadcaster gives a call for neutrality.After getting into the U.S. on a forged passport, McCrea's wife, played by the darkly beautiful Brenda Marshall, confesses her past associations, and states that she's been approached to do more favors for an espionage group. McCrea resigns his post, and with his wife's help, sets out to expose the spy network in the U.S.In the aftermath of 9/11, watching a 67-year-old film where a group of people have agents in place throughout the country and sites ready to bomb is chilling.There are some tense, exciting scenes and an attractive cast, but the film is more of historical interest than anything else. Look for TV Superman George Reeves in a very small, uncredited role.

dexter-10 There is little doubt in this film that World War II is about to begin. In fact, it was released just twenty-one days after the invasion of Poland by German forces and was in production long before. Scare tactics aside, the movie reveals real fears during the months preceding the war. Spies, counterspies, terror, suspicions, and other prologues to war gave ample warning of renewed global conflict. This movie reflects that warning.Viewing this film leads one to wonder, given the ample clues, how the war could surprise anyone.