So much average

Fresh and Exciting

everything you have heard about this movie is true.

This movie feels like it was made purely to piss off people who want good shows

Another great espionage film, like his previous "House on 92nd Street" basically documentary, but gradually it evolves into high drama of human relationships and cruel intrigues. James Cagney is perfect as leader of the school of agents and spies, and although only an instructor from the beginning, he eventually will get good use of his hard fists. The final scene is tremendous for its effect and implication, a last laugh indeed.Richard Crenna is also very credible as his counterpart, and Henry Hathaway succeeds in getting his face in a final expression as well.I don't know how true the story is, but it could very well be true all the way, just like "House on the 92nd Street" was, and even more, the subsequent one, "Call Northside 777" with James Stewart, which is the best of the three.

This was TCF's second attempt at documentary style storytelling. Producer De Rochement really succeeded with his earlier espionage thriller, House on 92nd Street (1945). Here, however, the first part bogs down with too much exposition, unlike House. No doubt post-war viewers were fascinated to see how our special op's trained for overseas missions. But after 70-years, much is dated and that expository part remains too lengthy for an action picture, even though Cagney's energetic drive manages a spark. Nonetheless, the introductory segment does serve to introduce main characters along with a suspected Nazi double-agent, which provides a brief guessing game. The second part, however, delivers the goods, as special op's and their French allies tangle with the Nazis and their French (Vichy) allies. A high point is when Cagney is led up a hill to meet with a French scientist. The area is so secluded that we know something's not right. But what? Here, people aren't always what they pretend to be, which makes for good intrigue. Still, what's with poor Annabella. She does get second-billing, but only about ten lines and little screen time. Conte is the real co-star. But then that doesn't put a woman's name up on the marquee. At the same time, director Hathaway films in straightforward style befitting a documentary approach, but also serves to leave out atmosphere and mood. Here plot is all.The film may be dated. Still, it does provide insight into what has become, for better or worse, the CIA.

Good WWII espionage tale has secret agent James Cagney training a group of recruits. One of them turns out to be a German double agent. Instead of arresting the spy, Cagney feeds them false information. But this doesn't turn out as planned and Cagney has to go after the agent himself.Solid cast backing up Cagney, who's great as usual. Richard Conte, Walter Abel, Melville Cooper, and Sam Jaffe are all quality actors. Lovely French actress Annabella is quite good, too. Karl Malden, Red Buttons, and E.G. Marshall all have uncredited bit parts. I enjoyed the scenes of the agents receiving their training, which was varied to say the least. I'm a sucker for minutiae, I guess. My favorite part of this was when the agents had to listen to a sound and pick what it was between two choices. For example, "a jungle bird or a falling bomb." I'm not quite sure what practical purpose this sort of training has but it sure was amusing to watch. The government agency in the movie is called O77 but it's really supposed to be the OSS (Office of Strategic Services, the predecessor to the CIA). Apparently the head of the OSS objected to the part of the movie that had an enemy agent infiltrating his organization, so the studio changed the name to O77.

James Cagney stars in "13 Rue Madeleine," a routine WW II spy drama also starring Richard Conte, Annabella, and a several familiar faces in smaller roles: Sam Jaffe, Karl Malden, and E.G. Marshall. Done in semidocumentary style, Cagney plays the head of a U.S. spy cell, but the cell is known to have a Nazi in its midst. He is not eliminated so that he can be fed the wrong date for D-Day. When he kills one of the other spies, Cagney has to go in as a replacement.Despite some nice performances, notably from Cagney and Conte, the film under Henry Hathaway's direction was quite slow; he was lumbered with a script where it was difficult to develop any feelings for most of the characters, as they were underdeveloped. There were some good scenes, particularly the ones with Jaffe's character and the French resistance. Darryl F. Zanuck brought the pretty, petite Annabella over from France to star her in films, unaware that she would fall in love with his top male star, Tyrone Power. When he tried to discourage the relationship by sending her back to France to do some films, she refused to leave her man, thus finishing her as far as Zanuck was concerned. It's a shame because although you can't tell in this movie, Annabella was an excellent actress, as she would prove on the stage. It's fun to see Karl Malden and E.G. Marshall in small parts.The end of the film is powerful, but I prefer "OSS," also a small, semidocumentary film - catch that one if you have a chance.