source: 5 Fingers

Trailer—5 Fingers

5 Fingers

This is one of the best roles of James Mason's career, and it's a long, distinguished one indeed, with more than its share of underrated masterpieces (Michael Powell's "Age of Consent") and overrated mediocrities (Carol Reed's "Odd Man Out) for film fans to dig through. This role is perfect for Mason because no one is better than he at playing elegant scoundrels that you can't help but admire for their craftiness. You root for this spy to double cross everybody all the way even though it might mean the allies losing WWII, etc. And the ending is wonderfully ambiguous and evily hilarious with Mason laughing his head off and not caring that he's personally in a very tight spot but thoroughly amused that the "Contessa" who tried to double-cross him had 'gotten hers.' One of the best written and acted American films of the '50s.

A sporting good film with James Mason and Danielle Darrieux. I will not go into details so as not to ruin your fun, but this is a, pardon the cliche´, must-see film. Spying was not for the faint-of-heart no matter which side you were or weren't on. But Mason, one of my favorite male actors of all time, pulls off a great performance of a great, supposedly-true story. There is some great snappy dialog amongst the characters. Clever writing. The ending will make you laugh just as it did Mason. Bernard Herrmann's music score is quickly identifiable. I own this and still watch it on TV when it pops up. Never get tired of it.

Greatly enjoyed this 1952 film which was very well produced and the wonderful photography through out Istanbul, Turkey was outstanding. The Nazi agents and British tried to keep tabs on a spy who was giving out very important information and was sometimes not believed by the German Government. James Mason,(Ulysses Diello),"Voyage of the Damned",'76, gave an excellent performance and had lots of fun changing light bulbs and taking fuses out of the fuse boxes and setting alarms off, giving the cleaning lady a hard time trying to vacuum the rugs! Michael Rennie( George Travers),"The Lost World",'60, was a British Agent trying to track down the SPY. Ulysses Diello at one point in the film went into a wild laughing spell that just could not STOP! This is a great James Mason film, ENJOY!

Never trust women. You certainly can't trust the Nazis. The ending in this film comes right out of an Alfred Hitchcock thriller. The film is definitely a taut espionage thriller with James Mason playing a butler in the British embassy who is up to his neck in espionage. Seems he used to work for the Polish Countess Waleska (Danielle Dariux) until the bombs started falling on Poland and the count had nerve enough to die. The two of them form a relationship where Mason steals top documents for the Nazis, and is paid well. Of course, the Nazi hooligans never trust him and eventually the film becomes one of who will do him in-England or Germany? Michael Rennie plays a British agent. Surprising that it takes so long to see what's going on here. This is the ultimate film in deception and duplicity. I can't give it away but Mason, as Cicero, the spy certainly has an ironic last laugh.

A really interesting spy drama, set in Turkey during WW2. James Mason takes the lead role and does a wonderful job painting a picture of a murky, amoral but romantic figure trying to win out in a complex and desperate situation. The supporting cast barely get a look in, as he inevitably dominates all of his scenes. The rest is slowly-paced and mildly complicated, playing out as a chess game between the allied and axis powers, hugely realistic - it's a true story after all - and after a time, quite compelling.

This film is far from forgotten. Fans of James Mason and director Joseph L. Mankiewicz know it well. It's one of the most intelligent spy thrillers ever thanks to an Oscar-winning screenplay by Michael Wilson ("Bridge on the River Kwai," "Lawrence of Arabia," and the original "Planet of the Apes"). It also has a score by Bernard Herrmann. What else do you need? Other comments here have told what the plot is, so all I'll say is I envy you if haven't seen it yet and plan to. It's gripping and enjoyable all the way, and wonderfully ironic.

I remember reading the book on which this film is based more than fifty years ago, as well as seeing it when it was first released. I have just viewed it again and want to encourage others to see it. It is well crafted in every respect -- taut direction, superb performances, and a very fine screenplay. This film deserves more recognition.