Decision Before Dawn (1951)

  • NR
  • 12/21/1951 (US)
  • War, Action, Thriller
  • 1h 59m

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!

Overview

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.

Anatole Litvak

Director

Peter Viertel

Screenplay

George Howe

Novel

Cast

Richard Basehart's headshot

Richard Basehart

Lt. Dick Rennick
Gary Merrill's headshot

Gary Merrill

Col. Devlin
Oskar Werner's headshot

Oskar Werner

Cpl. Karl Maurer - aka Happy
Hildegard Knef's headshot

Hildegard Knef

Hilde
Dominique Blanchar's headshot

Dominique Blanchar

Monique
O.E. Hasse's headshot

O.E. Hasse

Col. Oberst von Ecker
Wilfried Seyferth's headshot

Wilfried Seyferth

Heinz Scholtz, SS-Mann
Hans Christian Blech's headshot

Hans Christian Blech

Sgt. Rudolf Barth - aka Tiger

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