Decision Before Dawn backdrop

Decision Before Dawn

1951·War·1h 59m
7.1
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.
Directed by Anatole Litvak
spy
world war ii
prisoner of war
waffen ss

Cast

Richard Basehart
Richard Basehart
Lt. Dick Rennick
Gary Merrill
Gary Merrill
Col. Devlin
Oskar Werner
Oskar Werner
Cpl. Karl Maurer - aka Happy
Hildegard Knef
Hildegard Knef
Hilde
Dominique Blanchar
Dominique Blanchar
Monique
O.E. Hasse
O.E. Hasse
Col. Oberst von Ecker
Wilfried Seyferth
Wilfried Seyferth
Heinz Scholtz, SS-Mann
Hans Christian Blech
Hans Christian Blech
Sgt. Rudolf Barth - aka Tiger
Helene Thimig
Helene Thimig
Fräulein Schneide
George Tyne
George Tyne
Sgt. Griffin
Robert Freitag
Robert Freitag
Sgt. Paul Richter
Arno Assmann
Arno Assmann
Ernst Brandenbacher (uncredited)

Crew

Anatole Litvak
Anatole Litvak
Director
Peter Viertel
Peter Viertel
Screenplay
Franz Waxman
Franz Waxman
Original Music Composer
Dorothy Spencer
Dorothy Spencer
Editor
Anatole Litvak
Anatole Litvak
Producer
Gerd Oswald
Gerd Oswald
Second Unit

Popular Reviews

3 reviews
JMadson
Decision Before Dawn
A brilliant tense war spy thriller. It does start a bit slow for my liking, and at times some of the roles get confusing but after a bit it get going and keeps you on your toes through out quite the finish. Oskar Werner is amazing throughout the story and the real lead.
A brilliant tense war spy thriller. It does start a bit slow for my liking, and at times some of the roles get confusing but after a bit it get going and keeps you on your toes through out quite the finish. Oskar Werner is amazing throughout the story and the real lead.
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xrclv7
xrclv7
Decision Before Dawn
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Pretentious
Pretentious
Decision Before Dawn
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