November 6 movie: Confessions of a Nazi Spy. I'm not sure whether this or Gigli was the 3rd worst movie I saw last weekend. I think Gigli was probably worse because this had Edward G. Robinson. On the other hand, Gigli had Christopher Walken, even if only for a few minutes. And I never felt totally bored during Gigli as I did a couple of times during Confessions of a Nazi Spy. I can't decide.
Anyway this was a 1939 movie about Nazi spy rings in the US. I guess it was a propanganda piece to get Americans riled up against the Nazis in anticipation of the war. They used a docudrama style with the movie, although I don't think it was based on actual people. Except in a general sense that there were indeed German spies in the US at that time.
One problem with this movie is that the Germans are such idiots they're overcome either by their greed or their stupidity. And the ones who aren't stupid are easily defeated by the super FBI skills of G-man Edward G. Robinson. Taking this movie too seriously might make you wonder why the Nazis were ever a threat. But the real problem is that Robinson doesn't appear onscreen until 45 minutes in. I would have enjoyed it more if he had been in it more.
In any case, this was interesting as a historical moment but I can't recommend it as a movie. Although it did yield the hilarious line, said in all sincerity: "German cooking: the best in the world!"
Leave a comment