13 Rue Madeleine (1947)

Very best movie i ever watch

Memorable, crazy movie

This film is so real. It treats its characters with so much care and sensitivity.

A clunky actioner with a handful of cool moments.

Another great espionage film, like his previous "House on 92nd Street" basically documentary, but gradually it evolves into high drama of human relationships and cruel intrigues. James Cagney is perfect as leader of the school of agents and spies, and although only an instructor from the beginning, he eventually will get good use of his hard fists. The final scene is tremendous for its effect and implication, a last laugh indeed.Richard Crenna is also very credible as his counterpart, and Henry Hathaway succeeds in getting his face in a final expression as well.I don't know how true the story is, but it could very well be true all the way, just like "House on the 92nd Street" was, and even more, the subsequent one, "Call Northside 777" with James Stewart, which is the best of the three.

After the bombing of Pearl Harbor, the American government recruits several agents for the Secret Service, to be trained by the experienced veteran of World War I Robert Emmett Sharkey (James Cagney). However Bob is advised that among the men and women called O-77 there is a German double-agent, infiltrated to discover the date and location of the Allied Front in Europe. He discovers the identity of the spy, but he feeds him with false information to misguide the Germans. However, he suspects, escapes and kills one agent that was assigned to kidnap an important collaborationist in France in a dangerous mission. Without time to prepare another rookie, Bob decides to travel to Le Havre to accomplish the assignment and kill the German agent if possible.Despite being dated, excessively patriotic and naive in 2009 and the narrative like a documentary in the beginning, "13 Rue Madeleine" is a great movie of espionage, war and action. James Cagney and Richard Conte have wonderful roles and performances. There are flaws, like for example the easy way that Jeff Lassiter and Bill O'Connell breach the security system of the shipyard and lure the agent, but in the end this feature is a great entertainment. My vote is eight.Title (Brazil): "Rua 13 Madeleine" ("Madeleine 13 Street")

James Cagney stars in "13 Rue Madeleine," a routine WW II spy drama also starring Richard Conte, Annabella, and a several familiar faces in smaller roles: Sam Jaffe, Karl Malden, and E.G. Marshall. Done in semidocumentary style, Cagney plays the head of a U.S. spy cell, but the cell is known to have a Nazi in its midst. He is not eliminated so that he can be fed the wrong date for D-Day. When he kills one of the other spies, Cagney has to go in as a replacement.Despite some nice performances, notably from Cagney and Conte, the film under Henry Hathaway's direction was quite slow; he was lumbered with a script where it was difficult to develop any feelings for most of the characters, as they were underdeveloped. There were some good scenes, particularly the ones with Jaffe's character and the French resistance. Darryl F. Zanuck brought the pretty, petite Annabella over from France to star her in films, unaware that she would fall in love with his top male star, Tyrone Power. When he tried to discourage the relationship by sending her back to France to do some films, she refused to leave her man, thus finishing her as far as Zanuck was concerned. It's a shame because although you can't tell in this movie, Annabella was an excellent actress, as she would prove on the stage. It's fun to see Karl Malden and E.G. Marshall in small parts.The end of the film is powerful, but I prefer "OSS," also a small, semidocumentary film - catch that one if you have a chance.

This "13 rue Madeleine " is the address of the gestapo's headquarters,the place where they tortured their prisoners.Hathaway's movie looks like the propaganda works which were thriving during WW2.French Annabella who lost a brother in the conflict was a committed actress who played for the soldiers on stage in Italy.It was the second time she had been cast in a WW2 movie (the first was "tonight we raid Calais" in 1943.Unfortunately she's (like all the actors) outstripped by James Cagney,and as soon as we know about her husband's fate ,her part is so underwritten she does not have a single chance to shine.The same goes for Richard Conte and Frank Latimore.In consequence,the most interesting part of the movie is its first part,almost a documentary ,which shows the training of the secret agents,with voice over galore.Then when the story really begins,after 30 min,it is sometimes confused and only the moving last scenes ,13 rue Madeleine,have a true emotional power.