The 49th Man (1953)

None of the other reviewers seem to realize that this movie was "remade", using a somewhat different premise, but very similar in many aspects of the plot, including the last minute, down-to-the-wire ending. It was called "The Fourth Protocol", released in 1987, starring Michael Caine and Pierce Brosnan.Of course "The Fourth Protocol" had much bigger stars, bigger budget, better writers and better production values, and was certainly more believable. But we are comparing it with an early 50s B movie. It seems to me that the makers of the later movie must surely have seen this early one.

Nowadays, it's easy for folks to make fun of the Cold War era--and in particular the paranoid 1950s. However, given the proliferation of atomic weapons and a vow from Stalin to destroy the West, it's understandable why so many films of the time were about Communist plots or giant mutant creatures created through atomic fission. So when I see "The 49th Man", I see its plot as a definite product of these scary times--a time when it seemed very possible that the human race would wipe itself out sooner or later. Because of this, the film is a lot more tense than most films--even if the plot is a little far-fetched.The film begins with a scary discovery--a portion of an atomic bomb is found amidst car wreckage! And, scientists examining it have determined that the weapon has been broken down into dozens are pieces--and each can be easily transported by an enemy agent (i.e., a Commie!). So, it's up to John Ireland (a great Noir actor) to track down the agents and get to the bottom of this plot against America.Taut action and good acting carry the day here. While this is not a fancy big-budget film, it is entertaining and a great window into a very tense era.

The hysteria and paranoia are palpable in this well made and quite enjoyable suspenser about a plot to smuggle atomic bombs into the United States. John Ireland stars as an FBI man on the trail of the conspirators, who, fittingly enough, seem to be based in France and San Francisco. Time is of the essence, as fanatics willing to die for their cause are working overtime to bring bomb components into the country, where they will be assembled and, presumably, exploded. Sound familiar? Produced by Sam Katzman and directed by Fred Sears, The 49th Man compares favorably with the equally over the top The Whip Hand, a Howard Hughes-produced screed about the threat of commie biological weapons. Good fun, even if you don't think there's a terrorist on every street corner.

Despite a muddled script, the movie manages to generate some suspense. It's really an exploitation flick aimed at America's Cold War fears of the growing spread of nuclear weaponry. In 1953, the Soviets had the A-bomb but lacked a delivery system to threaten America's shores. The screenplay cleverly suggests a way of threatening those shores without a long-range system. Instead, bomb parts are smuggled in for later assembly. However, the script incredibly never suggests who is behind the scheme or why. Perhaps they thought audiences would logically suspect the Soviets since the Cold War was boiling, especially in Korea. Nonetheless, the absence of who the planners are and why they're doing it amounts to a big hole in the story.There's a lot of globe trotting since Intelligence agent John Ireland is on the trail of the culprits who have international connections. It looks like crew members of an American sub are the chief suspects and Ireland is ready to pounce. At this point, however, more than half- way through, the movie does a startling turn-around. It's puzzling why the script would abruptly convert the cat-and- mouse into nothing more than a war game. My guess is to reassure audiences that our Intelligence defenses were adequate to defeat the nuclear dangers posed by such insidious schemes. However, ending the movie with nothing more than a war game would have disappointed viewers. Thus an improbable shadow scheme of real plotters is tacked on during the final few minutes. At that point, you may need a score card to keep up with the complications.The movie is surprisingly well-produced. Fast-buck artist Sam Katzman was not known for attention to detail, but the international scenes are in fact well mounted. Low budget director Fred Sears films with some imagination, but crucially fails to exploit the suspense-charged final scene in the airplane. Too bad, because this is the big pay-off. With its key twists and turns from higher-ups, this little B-film surprisingly anticipates many of the big-budget spy thrillers of the 60's and 70's, where agents were routinely manipulated for "higher purposes". Of course, by that post-Vietnam period, the popular mood had become less trusting than the unquestioning atmosphere of 1953. Contrast, for example, this film's confident documentary style with 1975's super cynical Three Days of the Condor. All in all, this McCarthy era artifact remains a rather interesting little curiosity that retains some relevance given current fears of a terrorist sneak attack.