Decision Before Dawn
Seen it?1951 | 119 min | War, Action, Thriller
Saturday Specialearly ratingWhy it’s a Saturday Special
Critics loved it (100% on Rotten Tomatoes), despite soft box office. A strong pick for the weekend.
Based on critics, audiences, awards, box office and buzz. Details below.Is it for you?
- Who'll love it
- Made for anyone who likes to be kept guessing, action fans and history buffs. If you loved The Dirty Dozen, start here.
- The mood
- Tense, intense.
- The pace
- Fast-moving, at 1 hr 59 min.
- What might put you off
- Made in 1951: an older pace and style.
WWII is entering its last phase: Germany is in ruins, but does not yield. The US army lacks crucial knowledge about the German units operating on the opposite side of the Rhine, and decides to send two German prisoners to gather information. The scheme is risky: the Gestapo retains a terribly efficient network to identify and capture spies and deserters. Moreover, it is not clear that "Tiger", who does not mind any dirty work as long as the price is right, and war-weary "Happy", who might be easily betrayed by his feelings, are dependable agents. After Tiger and another American agent are successfully infiltrated, Happy is parachuted in Bavaria. His duty: find out the whereabouts of a powerful German armored unit moving towards the western front.
How it earned its rating
- CriticsVery strong
100% on Rotten Tomatoes
- AudiencesNot counted
Not measured yet: not enough ratings
- AwardsSolid
Nominated for 2 Oscars.
- Reach & staying powerBelow par
Streaming release that reached a small audience so far; still draws a steady audience long after release
- Buzz & cultural impactBelow par
About 23K people sought it out in the past year
Trailer
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Cast & crew
Directed by Anatole Litvak
- Richard BasehartLt. Dick Rennick
- Gary MerrillCol. Devlin
- Oskar WernerCpl. Karl Maurer - aka Happy
- Hildegard KnefHilde
- Dominique BlancharMonique
- O.E. HasseCol. Oberst von Ecker
- Wilfried SeyferthHeinz Scholtz, SS-Mann
- Hans Christian BlechSgt. Rudolf Barth - aka Tiger
- Helene ThimigFräulein Schneide
- George TyneSgt. Griffin