Circle of Danger
Circle of Danger
NR | 17 April 1951 (USA)
Circle of Danger Trailers

An American comes to Britain to investigate the murky circumstances of his brother's death that occurred during a WW2 commando raid.

Reviews
Incannerax What a waste of my time!!!
Titreenp SERIOUSLY. This is what the crap Hollywood still puts out?
BroadcastChic Excellent, a Must See
Peereddi I was totally surprised at how great this film.You could feel your paranoia rise as the film went on and as you gradually learned the details of the real situation.
Panamint Confidently directed by Jacques Tourneur and ably portrayed by a fine cast, "Circle of Danger" is a relatively unknown film that is worth finding if you can (maybe through CD purchase or on TV). You won't regret looking it up.Ray Milland is the perfect choice as an American who efforts to discover exactly what happened to his brother in WWII. Not an easy task to discover details about a death during a commando raid, obviously a chaotic and deliberately secret event by nature. Although the American's motivations remain a bit fuzzy to everyone, he is doggedly determined. The result is an ending resolution that I found to be rewarding and finely done. The radiant Patricia Roc portrays a young woman who tries to balance career and emotional involvements with as much wisdom as possible in view of fast-moving and evolving events. Marius Goring ("The Red Shoes") expertly essays a complex character with style and aplomb. Former movie "Saint" Hugh Sinclair is solid as a rock and excellent in his portrayal of a truly selfless aristocrat. All of the characters in this film are conveyed with some depth, surprisingly so for a modestly made sort of movie.1950 Britain is really featured throughout the film and nostalgically captured in black and white which seems somehow appropriate for the date and era.They just don't make them like this anymore- so you will feel lucky to have found "Circle of Danger".
wilvram Ray Milland is not entirely comfortable as a no-nonsense American who crosses the Atlantic to investigate the mysterious death of his brother, who'd served as a commando in the British army in World War 2. He eventually finds himself at the end of a rifle wielded by the man who fired the fatal shot, which presumably accounts for the title.The credits, including a screen play by acclaimed detective author Philip MacDonald, lead you to expect rather more than is on offer here. A bit more of Britain is acknowledged than usual in films of this era, and Milland's enquiries take him to the Scottish Highlands (though actually filmed in Devon) and a brief visit to a Welsh mining community, though it's a pity they didn't use genuine Welsh actors. It's all a bit lethargic for the first fifty minutes or so as Director Jacques Tourneur concentrates on the various protagonists, including another ex-commando, now a ballet director, whom is clearly gay, played by Marius Goring. A major compensation for the duller moments is the glamorous Patricia Roc, as charming and lovely as ever.
mamalv A tale of mystery and a quest for the truth make this quite the journey. An American (Ray Milland) sets out to find how his younger brother died in service. Along the way he meets a lovely Scottish lass (Patricia Roc) and falls for her. However his quest is so obsessive he may get the truth and lose the girl. This is a nice film with twists and turns that will make you want to go along for the ride. The last portion of the film is tense and we wonder if Douglas (Milland) will survive his walk with Hammish the man who killed his brother. Too bad that this film has such lousy transfer, the quality is very poor. However it is worth watching again, and again.
robert-temple-1 Jacques Tourneur directed this postwar British mystery film very well, and the cinematography by Ossie Morris and camera operating by Arthur Ibbetson were superior, and added to the film's atmosphere considerably. Ray Milland is the lead actor, playing an American who visits England and wants to find out how and why his younger brother had died during the War. The brother (not seen in the film) had joined up as a British commando in 1940 and was mysteriously killed on a commando raid 'with not a German in sight'. Was he murdered by a comrade? Milland sets about visiting in turn all of the 12 men of the commando unit, only to discover that many of them are dead and one died only two weeks before his arrival in England after suggesting that the brother had been a murder victim. One of the surviving men is an East End wide boy played by Naunton Wayne, who is usually a bumbling gent but on this occasion is a convincing used car salesman. His girl friend 'Bubbles' who even does a singing number is played by the ever-effervescent Dora Bryan. A deeply sinister performance is contributed by Marius Goring, as a gay ballet dancer who knows how to handle a gun and whose role in the story only becomes clear at the end. Patricia Roc is the love interest, who alternates between being bouncy and adorable and being the most horrible spoilt brat who pouts if kept waiting for a few minutes and accuses Milland of not being dressed properly when he is in a mere suit and tie (she snottily points out that he has 'ruined her evening' because he hasn't had time to change into black tie). She really needed several good spankings, but does not get one, unfortunately. Milland is very effective in this mysterious tale, exerting extraordinary self-control in the face of extreme provocation from the uncommunicative and rude former comrades of his brother. There are some fine shots of the Scottish highlands as Milland pursues the truth north of the border, where the whistling of a folk tune called 'White Heather' takes on significance in terms of identifying the killer. This is a fine film without pretensions, where the intrigue is unravelled like a thread and leads Milland to strange discoveries about what really happened.