Sabotage

A London woman (Sylvia Sidney) discovers that her husband (Oskar Homolka) is part of ring of saboteurs.

Sabotage (The Woman Alone in the US) is an interesting, if flawed, and somewhat controversial thriller from director Alfred Hitchcock.

The film tells you right off that Oskar Homolka (who echoes an older Bela Lugosi) is a saboteur, so there’s none of the “is he, or isn’t he?” ala Hitchcock’s later Suspicion. Instead, much of the early intrigue actually revolves around the identity of John Loder’s character who, unfortunately, doesn’t come across as very likable early on. From there the film builds to the inevitable confrontation between Sylvia Sidney and Homolka.

The controversy surrounds a late plot twist involving the death of one of the characters. Hitchcock reportedly received a lot of criticism for it, and later regretted it, but it should be noted that it was in keeping with the plot of Joseph Conrad’s novel, on which the film is based. Further, it’s actually quite a refreshing twist and gives the film a genuine edge. Unfortunately, the film runs out of steam immediately following said twist, slowing to an almost intolerable crawl for the final fifteen minutes to a routine and predictable conclusion.

That said, Sabotage is worth a look for Hitchcock fans, as it shows the director getting even more comfortable with the suspense genre he’d become so closely associated with throughout his career; just turn it off after that certain someone dies. Trust me, you know how it ends.