5 Fingers (1952)

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5 Fingers (1952) -- J. L. Mankiewiecz

James Mason excelled at playing disdainful bad guys, although he was charismatic enough to absorb attention in the hero role too.  Here, he is thoroughly bad, as a traitor selling secrets to the Nazis stolen from under the nose of the British Ambassador in Ankara, Turkey (he is the ambassador’s valet).  His motive is money and he swears no political allegiances.  Director Joseph L. Mankiewiecz follows Mason’s actions so closely that we come to identify with him and almost hope that his plans to reveal the details of Operation Overlord (D-Day landing site) succeed.  His partner is played by Danielle Darrieux, an exiled countess who has fallen on hard times and, similarly, is open to the highest bidder, Nazi or British, and thus receptive to Mason’s overtures (he was formerly her husband’s valet).  Apparently, the spy story is true and based on a book by one of the central Nazi figures in the action but Mankiewicz (and screenwriter Michael Wilson) inserted the countess into the script which introduces richer deeper themes about class into the mix.  After all, Mason is a valet who seeks to improve his lot in life through espionage, expecting even to bed/wed the countess.  The plot has enough twists to ensure its appeal to those seeking a ripping spy story although the failure of the Allies to detect Mason for most of the picture seems a bit far-fetched.  A good one, filmed on location in Turkey with a Bernard Herrmann score to boot.