Wow! Such a good movie.

A brilliant film that helped define a genre

It's fun, it's light, [but] it has a hard time when its tries to get heavy.

A movie that not only functions as a solid scarefest but a razor-sharp satire.

This is as much a response to samhill5215's review of CONSPIRATOR as it is a review of the film itself. Sam Hill seems to think that paranoia about Soviet infiltration of the West was unjustified, even though around the same time this film was being made (1949) the Rosenbergs were selling nuclear secrets to the Russians and Philby was funneling intel to them from his perch over in England.Sam wonders why Elizabeth Taylor's character -- who the film paints as being naive and apolitical -- would be rattled to discover that she'd married a Soviet spy. I wonder if Sam would be making the same observation if the time line were adjusted to World War II and Taylor had learned her husband was a Nazi.I suppose it matters not to Sam that Mao and Stalin together killed approximately 94 million people. 94. Million.Nine-four, Sam. Million. The number is beyond staggering. It defies belief.Adolph Hitler, one of the most evil humans of the 20th century, was a piker by comparison.But according to Sam, regardless of this kind of unprecedented barbarity, Liz's character was just a Silly Billy to care so much.Unbelievable.The movie itself is okay, but far from great. It's well photographed and professionally acted... the story is intriguing... but it all feels rather insubstantial, as if several important scenes were missing.Perhaps it got butchered in the editing room.Too bad. Like samhill's review.

In the late 1940s and early 50s, there were several highly entertaining films about Communist spies and infiltrators. While none of them were especially subtle, films like "My Son, John" and "I Married a Communist" were dandy entertainment--with their occasionally over the top scripts and exciting fight between the forces of freedom and Communism. However, after seeing "Conspirator", I must say that this is one of the dullest and most illogical films in the genre.The film begins with young Elizabeth (only 17 at the time) becoming infatuated with the mature and handsome Robert Taylor (age 38). While this budding romance seemed immensely creepy (especially by today's standards) and hard to imagine, the pair eventually marry. Things seem pretty good--though she has no idea he's a closet Communist spy.The film becomes really, really stupid later when the new wife discovers that he is a dirty Red. Now you'd think that Elizabeth would contact the authorities--after all, he's a high up officer with access to very, very sensitive material. However, when he tells her no one will believe her, she seems to just accept this!! And, later in the film when he suggests they go duck hunting...with REAL guns and bullets...she thinks nothing of going with him!!! What part of 'he's a spy' didn't she understand?! And, up until he attacks her on this trip, he's lied repeatedly. And what does she do? Nothing...as her character is apparently an idiot. In addition to this serious flaw, the film also manages to be incredibly dull--something you'd never expect with the topic or these top actors or from MGM--THE top studio of the day.So is it worth watching? Probably not unless you are a completist who MUST see all the films of either Taylor. Or, perhaps, if seeing a 38 year-old man with a 17 is your sort of kink!

Excellent young adult performance by 18-year-old Elizabeth Taylor playing newlywed American living abroad whose soldier husband is up to no good: he's living a double life and is really a communist traitor! Underpopulated, underwritten melodrama does have one strong aspect: a surprisingly strong, spunky woman at the center of the story. Robert Taylor is solid as Taylor's 30-ish husband, but any psychological conflicts are not quick to come out (there is a tense duck-hunting scene where the couple runs into trouble, but it's just shucked off). Liz looks beautiful and gives a fairly complex portrayal here--her eyes glinting with suspicion and anger. The film isn't a classic, nor is it swill, but as a quickie product from MGM, it's probably better than it had to be. **1/2 from ****

Conspirator gives us a chance to see Robert Taylor, once again as the villain. We almost hope that he is not what he seems to be. If not for the moviegoer but for Elizabeth Taylor, who is so in love with him that she is breathless. When she first meets Michael (Taylor) she is stunned by his looks, and when they dance, she falls hopelessly in love with him. They go to the country and the first time we realize there is something not right with Michael. It is on the rabbit hunt with his niece and nephew. One of the rabbits is caught in the trap, hurt, and Melinda asks Michael to help and he says "it is only a rabbit". That evening she rejects him, as he tells her he is desperately in love with her. She forgives him and they marry. Everything seems idyllic until strange postcards, blank and unsigned begin to show up in the mail. There are mysterious trips, sullen leavings, and when she tries to tease him, he explodes. She discovers the notes with secrets written on them, and is devastated. He promises to stop, but never does, and the Party is not happy with his marriage. They want him to kill her, but he in love, and hesitates. He does try on a hunting trip, but Melinda stumbles and the gun misfires. Instead in the end, when he knows that Melinda will give him up to the authorities, he kills himself. Robert Taylor gave Elizabeth Taylor her first grown up screen kiss. He was so smitten with her beauty that he had to be filmed from the waist up in many scenes because he could not control his amorous feelings. He was always an underrated actor, and this film proves it. Another film would be "Undercurrent" with Kathryn Hepburn. Evil again, and so good.