Rent Orders to Kill (1958)

Excellent Film - Orders to Kill review by CB

This film is based on a true story which leads to a very good film with a profound moral dilemma at its heart. The only negative is that it is too long in leading to its climatic events but otherwise this is a very worthwhile film to see and deserves to be better known. Even though it is British all the main characters are American or French (James Robertson Justice's role is pretty superfluous). This is far superior to most Second World War films, especially those made in the 1950s.

Human Factor (spoiler). - Orders to Kill review by Steve

Philosophical war drama set in Paris in the run up to D Day, which examines the guilt of combat survivors. Paul Massie plays a naive but studious former bomber pilot who was grounded with mental trauma. But because he is fluent in French, he is sent to Paris to kill a traitor. But what if the intelligence is flawed?

There's a familiar plot, particularly the early scenes as the young volunteer goes to assassins school, to be trained by a watchful, avuncular Eddie Albert. When dropped in France, the agent gets too close to his mark and begins to question his orders. But by leaning on his contact (Irene Worth) he may expose her to the Gestapo.

Aspects of the plot are not plausible. It's not obvious why the Resistance doesn't just put a bullet in the supposed collaborator? What makes the film interesting is the clever dialogue that reflects on the action at every stage. Particularly the interactions between Massie and Worth, which are warmed by unspoken maternal love.

When the victim is shown to be innocent, the conscience of the assassin is not reconciled by the fact he merely followed a chain of command. Presumably these issues were still personal to the survivors of WWII, or subsequent wars. There's a wordy script, but intelligent and full of insight, and well acted by the unstarry cast.