Ministry of Fear
Director: Fritz Lang
Year Released: 1944
Rating: 3.0
Despite a supremely improbable setup - a carnival run by spies and a cake containing microfilm? - this is a captivating film noir, with freshly-released mental patient Ray Milland stumbling through a labyrinthine plot that involves Nazis and secret agents. Lang's movies often involve a 'hero' that has a shady past - in this case, Milland is a 'murderer' (at least according to the law) - and a dark view of human nature, so this fits right in with his other pictures; the core difference between some of those grim films and this one is the appeal of Milland's character and the constantly surprising plot.
