What a curious movie. Drawn to the presence of Joseph Cotten and Orson Welles I tuned it in on TCM and soon after the start, realized I had seen it before and wondered why I didn't remember it. Watching it again all the way through made me realize why. The movie is all facade and no content. All the conventions, devices, tricks, and images of the espionage thriller are reeled off one after another in pursuit of a plot line that is largely non-existent. We have the sleazy hired assassin, the cheap hotel, the Turkish colonel, the hidden identities, furtive escapes, tramp steamers, balcony chases, etc. etc. etc. to no apparent purpose. I have a suspicion, knowing Orson Welles' sly sense of humor and his presence as both co-director and co-producer, that this may have been exactly his intention, i.e. to erect a glittery (or in this case, gloomy and rain-streaked) film noir edifice with nothing inside, just as a lark. As Gertrude Stein said of the city of Oakland, "There is no there there." At any rate the movie is interesting to watch, at whichever level you choose to watch it.
Review of Journey Into Fear
