David Harding, Counterspy

CinemaSerf6/10

Dec 26, 2022

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If you can get past the rather oppressive opening commentary, then this turns out to be not a bad adventure story that warns of the dangers of fifth columnists operating in the United States during the recently ended WWII. Fortunately for all concerned, they had "David Harding" (Howard St. John). Now he is a shrewd and visionary man who co-ordinates a network of counter-espionage operatives the world over with a view to thwarting the cunning plans of the Nazis to steal valuable industrial secrets and sabotage vital munitions production. Willard Parker ("Baldwin") is a naval officer drafted into help the investigation when it seems that valuable information is leaking from a large torpedo-making factory. It turns out that his predecessor (quite literally) died after his cigarette set his bed alight, and being a bit suspicious he and the man's widow "Betty" (Audrey Long) decide to look into things. There are no shortage of ostensibly upstanding and honest suspects and the one thing "Baldwin" can be sure of his, they will not surrender quietly. There are a few quite effective red herrings here at the start, but as the story progresses the jigsaw puzzle starts to take shape just a little too readily leaving little room for jeopardy at the end. Still, it does move along well for seventy minutes and though maybe not a film I will remember, I quite enjoyed watching it.