Although 'Hangmen Also Die!' is interesting for its subject, which is enough to make anybody feel unsettled even those not easily so, my main interest point was the cast. Have in particular always thought most highly of Walter Brennan and Gene Lockhart, both of whom were great in other things. On paper, it did sound like the film would be a powerful and quite scary one, though there was potential for suspension of disbelief being needed.
'Hangmen Also Die!' is indeed a quite powerful film that was pretty brave for back then, way back when this particular reign of terror was at its peak. It is not a great film perhaps and is not for all, but it was one that stayed with me for some time after and made me think. Have a lot of admiration for Fritz Lang, with 'Metropolis' and 'M' being influential masterpieces, and while this is not one of his best films it hardly disgraces him, actually think it is one of his more interesting not-as-famous films Those that expect complete historical accuracy are best looking elsewhere and one is going to have a hard time believing Brennan and other cast members as Czechs, but there is still an awful lot to like about 'Hangmen Also Die!' and its staying power is definitely there.
Brian Donlevy is very wooden and never looks comfortable in his role, which is something of a big problem, and Alexander Granach overdoes it in his (one easy to overact and had real potential to, and it falls into that trap).
Maybe the film runs on for a little too long (making for some draggy stretches in the middle) and had more clarity in the storytelling, as it is sometimes over-complicated.
On the other hand, 'Hangmen Also Die!' is stylishly photographed, and it is both quite beautiful and full of atmosphere, and making an even bigger impression visually is the noir-ish lighting that is really quite eerie and enhances the frightening nature of the story. Hans Eisler's music score also enhances the unsettlement without over-doing it. Lang's direction is more than accomplished and he shows himself to be not just more than up to the job but the perfect director for it also. The script is taut enough and always intrigues, while the story mostly is compelling, quite tense and a real risk was taken making a film with such a damning and frightening account of what was happening at the time and without trivialising. Lockhart's subplot is especially gripping while the film began on a quite terrifying note.
Excepting Donlevy and Granach, the acting was fine. Lockhart in particular was riveting and a close second and third were Anna Lee, who really brightens up the screen, and Brennan, in a type of role that suited him to the ground and he plays it with a curmudgeonly charm and intensity (even if accepting him as a Czech is going to take a lot of time). Hans Heinrich von Twardowski is quite unnerving as Heydrich.
Concluding, not a great film but an interesting and well done one. 7/10
'Hangmen Also Die!' is indeed a quite powerful film that was pretty brave for back then, way back when this particular reign of terror was at its peak. It is not a great film perhaps and is not for all, but it was one that stayed with me for some time after and made me think. Have a lot of admiration for Fritz Lang, with 'Metropolis' and 'M' being influential masterpieces, and while this is not one of his best films it hardly disgraces him, actually think it is one of his more interesting not-as-famous films Those that expect complete historical accuracy are best looking elsewhere and one is going to have a hard time believing Brennan and other cast members as Czechs, but there is still an awful lot to like about 'Hangmen Also Die!' and its staying power is definitely there.
Brian Donlevy is very wooden and never looks comfortable in his role, which is something of a big problem, and Alexander Granach overdoes it in his (one easy to overact and had real potential to, and it falls into that trap).
Maybe the film runs on for a little too long (making for some draggy stretches in the middle) and had more clarity in the storytelling, as it is sometimes over-complicated.
On the other hand, 'Hangmen Also Die!' is stylishly photographed, and it is both quite beautiful and full of atmosphere, and making an even bigger impression visually is the noir-ish lighting that is really quite eerie and enhances the frightening nature of the story. Hans Eisler's music score also enhances the unsettlement without over-doing it. Lang's direction is more than accomplished and he shows himself to be not just more than up to the job but the perfect director for it also. The script is taut enough and always intrigues, while the story mostly is compelling, quite tense and a real risk was taken making a film with such a damning and frightening account of what was happening at the time and without trivialising. Lockhart's subplot is especially gripping while the film began on a quite terrifying note.
Excepting Donlevy and Granach, the acting was fine. Lockhart in particular was riveting and a close second and third were Anna Lee, who really brightens up the screen, and Brennan, in a type of role that suited him to the ground and he plays it with a curmudgeonly charm and intensity (even if accepting him as a Czech is going to take a lot of time). Hans Heinrich von Twardowski is quite unnerving as Heydrich.
Concluding, not a great film but an interesting and well done one. 7/10