Decision Before Dawn

Decision Before Dawn

A woman's kiss . . . A lighted cigarette - Each had Its meaning! An exciting and realistic story of war . . . of German Prisoners Sent Back Behind Their Own Lines as Agents of the Allies!

NR 1951 · 119 min · ★ 6.8 · War, Action, Thriller

WWII is entering its last phase: Germany is in ruins, but does not yield. The US army lacks crucial knowledge about the German units operating on the opposite side of the Rhine, and decides to send two German prisoners to gather information. The scheme is risky: the Gestapo retains a terribly efficient network to identify and capture spies and deserters. Moreover, it is not clear that "Tiger", who does not mind any dirty work as long as the price is right, and war-weary "Happy", who might be easily betrayed by his feelings, are dependable agents. After Tiger and another American agent are successfully infiltrated, Happy is parachuted in Bavaria. His duty: find out the whereabouts of a powerful German armored unit moving towards the western front.

Directed by Anatole Litvak · Written by Peter Viertel

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Cast

Richard Basehart Lt. Dick Rennick
Gary Merrill Col. Devlin
Oskar Werner Cpl. Karl Maurer - aka Happy
Hildegard Knef Hilde
Dominique Blanchar Monique
O.E. Hasse Col. Oberst von Ecker
Wilfried Seyferth Heinz Scholtz, SS-Mann
Hans Christian Blech Sgt. Rudolf Barth - aka Tiger
Helene Thimig Fräulein Schneide
George Tyne Sgt. Griffin
Robert Freitag Sgt. Paul Richter
Harold Benedict Lt. Pete Gevers

Make it a double feature

3h 47m together

Decision Before Dawn

The Snake Pit

Both from Anatole Litvak.

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