Surprisingly good war film unknown to me before I saw it on American Movie Classics. Cast is excellent. Characters are well-drawn. The film is the best portrayal I have yet seen on celluloid of Germany in its stages of final collapse as the end of WWII nears. Some very impressive interiors are beautifully shot - the cathedral that serves as intelligence hq, and the castle or chateau that is the German command hq. Engrossing story of conflicted loyalties, and good action and suspense as well. I can only add my agreement with the positive comments already entered.

Occasionally I rate a film high for personal and sentimental reasons. In this case I am compelled by objective facts to add in the light of greater perspective that I consider this one of the best war movies of all time.

In the first place, the acting is superb. The casting is flawless. The direction is taut, as is the editing. It is filmed in black and white, as it would have to be even today if someone wanted to try a remake. The locations and sets are authentic to a "T." The story itself follows faithfully the text of a book I read as a child (before I saw the film, in fact).

Moreover, I consider it an act of bravery on the part of the film's producers even to begin a project like this so soon after the end of World War II, when passions against the Germans were still running high and mere caricatures of that nation's common people remained the standard for the day (and for years to come).

Oskar Werner in the main role was a brilliant choice, and veterans Richard Basehart and Gary Merrill provide ample evidence that casting proceeded on a basis of resolute excellence and authenticity. I am still blown away by revisiting the "Romantic Road" in Germany and thinking how this movie defined and continued to define for me how recent and ancient history converged along that path.

I cannot praise it enough.

I have seen 147239423 war films, so it takes a very unusual one to merit an 8. Heck, I almost gave this one a 9--it's that good and that unique.

The film is set in the latter portion of WWII. A group of German prisoners are recruited to become spies for the Americans. They want the men to sneak back into Germany and pinpoint targets for them. However, most of the Germans are still very loyal to Hitler and the only ones willing are selfish jerks. An exception is a young man played by Oskar Werner. Unlike his countrymen, he really sees the war as an evil thing and agrees to go back into his homeland on an espionage mission. Can he discover what the Allies want AND make it out alive?

I liked this film--even though Werner's performance was a bit too muted. In other words, he was generally very quiet and somewhat expressionless--an acting style he carried into other film such as "Fahrenheit 451" and "Jules and Jim". But, as I said, I still liked the film. Perhaps the biggest reason was that it was actually filmed in Germany and I was surprised that I recognized so many locales (I've visited the country a couple times). Würzburg in the movie really WAS Würzburg! And, one portion was clearly filmed in Rothenburg. Additionally, the story was unique and quite tense. Well worth your time--though it is odd how in old films the Germans almost always seem to speak English!! I wish they'd just used German with subtitles.