Scanialara You won't be disappointed!

Actuakers One of my all time favorites.

FuzzyTagz If the ambition is to provide two hours of instantly forgettable, popcorn-munching escapism, it succeeds.

Ella-May O'Brien Each character in this movie — down to the smallest one — is an individual rather than a type, prone to spontaneous changes of mood and sometimes amusing outbursts of pettiness or ill humor.

Robert D. Ruplenas This 1952 classic is well worth watching. An added attraction is that it is based on the true story of Albanian Elyesa Bazna, code name Cicero, who served as valet to the British Ambassadaor in Turkey (Sir Hughe Montgomery Knatchbull-Hugessen, if you must know) and funneled secret allied documents to the Germans.It's based on the book Operation Cicero by L.C.Moyzisch, who was Cicero's German contact. Mason, in a superb performance, plays Cicero, and Danielle Darriex plays Countess Staviska, Cicero's treacherous partner. Mason does a wonderful job of making us almost root for the suavely brash spy. Veteran character actor John Wengraf does a great job as Count von Papen, and Michael Rennie is Colin Travers, the British security agent who is sent in to uncover Cicero. Fine writing and acting all around, with a great director, Joseph Mankiewicz, and the distinctive sounds of Bernard Herrmann's score. There is a wonderful plot twist at the end that is well worth waiting for. Don't miss this underrated gem.

irvberg2002 The fictionalized aspects of the story are what give it the most zing. The actual spy, one Elyesa Bazna, was detected as the result of the disclosures of an allied spy who was an official in the German foreign ministry, one Fritz Kolbe (for the story about him, see "A Spy at the Heart of the Third Reich" by Lucas Delattre), who provided Nazi documents to Allen Dulles in Bern, who, in turn, notified the British that their Ankara embassy was compromised. A couple of British security agents were sent to the embassy, where they changed the safes and their combinations. Their visit was made to appear normal and routine; neither Cicero nor the Germans ever knew what led to it and Cicero was put out of business well before Overlord was in play. Bazna wrote his own book, "Ich War Cicero", published in Munich in 1964.

Neil Doyle FIVE FINGERS is one of the better espionage movies that came out in the '50s, a post-war film that contains a wonderful central performance by JAMES MASON, an excellent script and fine direction from Joseph L. Mankiewicz. TCM was presenting it as a tribute to Bernard Herrmann, who contributes his background score to the film--a minor work, in my opinion, not as stirring as the scores he would later write for his collaboration with Hitchcock.It's the taut script that supplies all the suspense and the performances of an expert cast. DANIELLE DARRIEUX is assured as the greedy Countess who decides to go along with Mason's offer of assisting him in his little enterprise with the Germans so that she can acquire the wealth to which she is accustomed, rather than remain penniless. It's their relationship that leads to the stunning twist ending.There are clever touches in the screenplay that will have the viewer on the edge of the seat as Mason almost gets caught time after time, but is able to use his wits at all times to avoid capture. The satisfying ending is quite unpredictable and seems to be manufactured in order to add some zest to the spy story--but that's no matter.Mason was at the top of his form, using his voice and suave, debonair charm as an English gentleman who happens to be a very astute spy while working as a valet at the British Embassy in Ankara, Turkey. MICHAEL RENNIE is fine as the American agent assigned to find out who is stealing "Top Secret" WWII plans for defeating the Germans. The last half-hour deals with his attempts to track down and capture Mason once he is aware that he is the culprit.Fascinating spy yarn deserves to be seen as one of the best of its kind with an ironic ending.

Byravan Viswanathan One of my all time favorites among great films. I had never seen James Mason before and I became his instant fan. How very suave and cool he portrayed Diello. I cannot think of another person who could have carried that role better.His portrayal of the perfect valet was no less than a calm,ruthless spy.If I were very rich I could ask for no other man Friday than Diello. Location shooting in Turkey was quite authentic in producing the right atmosphere and all the supporting characters came across perfectly, especially the beautiful Danielle Darrieux. The story's surprise ending makes watching this thriller most satisfying and beyond just entertaining.