The talent that Alfred Hitchcock had, was to expose people’s fears. Sabotage was a very real fear during World War 2. In Saboteur, an innocent man, Barry Kane, (Robert Cummings), is framed for sabotage, during a fire, in an aircraft plant. He uses a fire extinguisher, given to him, by a man named Frank Fry. The extinguisher contains gasoline, fueling the fire. He hides from the authorities, but they catch up to him. He manages to break free, and searches for the Fry. Along the way, he finds a reluctant ally, Patricia Martin. She goes along and they encounter the ring of saboteurs, led by Charles Tobin, (Otto Kruger)-a wealthy industrialist: who has strong ties to fascists, and Fry. The performance by Kruger brings out the reality, that the enemy can be hidden in plain sight. After much searching and struggle, Fry is finally located, after a cross country search, in New York City. The climax of the film, takes place fittingly, in, and on the Statue of Liberty.
This movie has many things for which Hitchcock was famous. When Barry Kane is escaping his captors, he dives into the water. His view underwater is shown, before he grabs one of his captors. An interesting thing is how Hitchcock can use common things, to show suspense. Barry Kane uses a car’s engine fan, to break his handcuffs. During this scene, the camera goes between the handcuffs and Patricia getting a car’s attention, to contact the authorities. This is before she realizes he was set up. When Kane and Martin are captives of Tobin, Kane draws Patricia’s attention to a book title. Kane is desperately trying to escape, and is going back and forth, through people at a party given by socialite, Mrs. Henrietta Sutton, (Alma Kruger). Mrs. Sutton is part of the sabotage ring. You can see the difference in attitudes of partygoers, that Kane is trying to reach. He tells one couple about the sabotage ring and a man enjoying the music. They both react differently. The couple are focused on Kane’s message, but think he’s crazy. The man is focused on the music, and can’t be bothered. There is the escape from authorities during the night, on a circus train. The performers by majority consensus, keep Patricia and Barry hidden. The performers are frightened, but keep a cool demeanor, while talking to the police. The climax of the film, shows Fry going from calm to fear stricken. Kane has a confidence and is shown on top of lady liberty: conquering fear and the enemy.
Alfred Hitchcock wrote the screenplay, like he did for many of his movies. It is good. It may not be among his best, but a viewing of Saboteur, is recommended. It can not only be considered a thriller, but a road picture, without the comedy. Robert Cummings and Patricia Lane are as good in this movie, as any of the A-list stars that Hitchcock used for his films.