Sabotage

Alfred Hitchcock's Speed The film canister bus section is the highlight of this next to the scene in the restaurant when the meat Carver let's it slip the guy has been there enough times for him to know no fat then slips some gross looking meat down and piles more slop on it

Underrated early Hitchcock film. He's definitely still finding his visual style (which is actually more present in some of his earlier works than it is here), but the screenplay is extremely well-paced and beautifully suspenseful throughout. Sylvia Sidney gives an amazing performance in the lead role.

Made in 1936 but feels more like 1906 - it aged horribly. I would only recommend this to diehard Hitchcock fans and even then I would warn them. But on the plus side, it's only 76 minutes so that's not too bad.

Hitch was still mastering his art at this point and the quality of the film suffers, but one can definitely tell it is a Hitchcock, and therefore it's good.

Some nice Hitchcockian touches, including plenty of his trademark tension and wit, and quite a bit of emotional depth. Surprisingly dark, with an ending that can only barely be called "happy".

Impressive effects, good build-up of tension: an extremely solid thriller from the big man himself

A bit low-key at getting things going with its average little theater across from an average little grocer's, but oh it does have moments to build up to for that last third. The bus trip and the dinner after especially. Hitchcock having taken us to so many theaters and symphonies, has made this one about the owners of a movie house, and our cast will have fun peeking or listening in. Still unanswered though, is "Who Killed Cock Robin?" For that, one must watch the 1935 Disney short here screened

Great performances from Sidney and Homolka, and a really bravura bomb delivery suspense sequence elevate this B tier Hitchcock outing to the top of tier B. Hitchcock had wanted to cast Robert Donat in Loder's place and it would have been an improvement. His mediocre performance and a strangely rushed ending keep this from being really great.

The third act of Sabotage is pretty fantastic, but I feel that it cheats a little, springing a romantic plot that is not adequately built or deserved.

Very tight and serviceable but largely unremarkable early Hitchcock. One bold choice made that I didn't see coming. I thought the character of Verloc was a bit inconsistent, going from being very concerned/drawing a line at causing death to completely unaffected by doing so. There are a few strong scenes, but it's clear Hitchcock was not yet the master he'd become at this point in his career.

Kind of a minor Hitchcock for me -- second half is immensely better than the first, a series of suspenseful, carefully put together set pieces (Stevie's death at the bus bombing is so painfully long, that's why is so striking up to this day; the climax at the movie theater, Mrs. Verloc watching a cartoon after her bro's death and then walking decided to kill Verloc). Too bad the first half feels so conventional.

The bus scene is a great early lesson in tension from the Master of Suspense. Good flick. Viewed on Tubi.

71.1

Sabotage hem teknik anlamda hem de gerilim olarak gayet sağlam bir film. Özellikle son yarım saatlik kısımda yarattığı heyecan mükemmel cidden. Filmin zayıf yönü ise Hitchcock’un her şeyden azar azar koyma çabası sonucu oluşan senaryo boşluğu diyebiliriz. Kısa ölçekli bir öyküye drama, komedi ve romantizm gibi unsurlar da katmak isteyen yönetmen, bu sebeple filmi yeterince derinleştiremiyor.

At a breezy 77 minutes, Hitchcock's narrative pops in all the right places. While the story isn't all that innovative, the moments of the suspense are beautifully put together.

An early Hitchcock ahead of its time. Excellent crime thriller!

85.50

Totally unremarkable film by Hitchcock. The impact of a couple of suspenseful scenes is almost completely drowned out by the mediocre acting, the uninteresting characters, the lack of realism in their reactions and a fairly simplistic story. I personally found myself unable to sympathize with any of the heroes, and that's not a good thing at all. At a mere 75 minutes, "Sabotage" nevertheless feels like it outstayed its welcome.

No one is safe. Not even the cuties.

Good film.

Star Rating: ★★

Sylvia Sidney goodness

Slighty stodgy but still worthwhile spy film; lacks the razor sharp tension that characterises Hitch's best (save the justly famous bomb on the bus sequence), but still well performed, especially by Sidney and Homolka.

1) a cop eavesdrops on his suspect from the back of the movie theater, and we hear what sounds like some form of torture, until a cut reveals that we were only hearing the film that's playing, and the suspect and friends are just lounging around. 2) after killing his wife's brother, oskar 'eyebrows' homolka throws out his hand amicably and almost knocks a model yacht off the shelf as he tells her "i know how you feel. you go to bed now, what you want is a good cry". 3) 'Who Killed Cock Robin?'

Hitchcock carved a mercilessly sensational bit from Conrad's The Secret Agent into a proficient drill in suspense. Sabotage is flawed plotting, but unqualified histrionics. Edgily dismissing all but the facade of motivation, the great manipulator thrusts his lens into the nucleus of Conrad's plot and extracts a giftedly implemented splinter of a story. What makes Hitchcock Hitchcock is that his technique is its own justification.

Underrated Hitchcock from that forgotten period between 39 Steps and Lady Vanishes. Bus sequence is fantastic and ballsy.

Probably ahead of its time in some respects, but retrospectively you have to strip it down to the story and it's just decent.

85.500

The story and style is dated, some conclusions redundant but the plot isn't all that bad. It's worth a watch, though may end up scratching your head over some parts.

This film is all about the BUS BOMB SEQUENCE! Man, was that brilliant! Filled with suspense! Tick-tack tick-tack.... (focus on clocks as it nears 1:45).... Yeah, real grim from Alfred Hitchcock! Poor ginger. He was such a sweet child. And Sabotage is a quality production even without that legendary film moment. Hitchcock captures Sylvia Sidney magic in so many shots. Sabotage creates the dynamic that Secret Agent was lacking and Hitchcock is on the right course again!

Hitchcock doing his thing, and doing it quite well. A bit rough here and there, but it's tense and suspenseful in its climax and the ending is quite a feat.

Enjoyable as a timepiece for it's neat characters, setting and plot points.Story arches in a unique way when viewed in comparison to most films and books of this genre. Could be considered dry and/or boring if you do not have an appreciation for the two positive points mentioned.

86.000

Sometimes when watching a film all one's hopes and dreams for a character come true in the end. In this particular rare case (though immensely satisfying) it's even my aspirations for a young kid being realized. Aside from this brief moment of bliss, which is all over much too soon - as is usual with all kinds of oldies. It winds up neatly only to spin out promptly.

Very good thriller direction by Hitchcock on a somewhat forgettable movie. That whole bit with the kid carrying the bomb is heartbreaking too. And the little dog. Please.

Lots of gloomy photography and sharp editing can't save this from being painted with very bold and obvious strokes. There's no tension to be had because you practically know everything from the start. It's a boring wait for the inevitable.

80.375

Another old suspence film. Hitchcock sometimes has these moments where the actor's/actress' skin is glowing, which is very random I guess but I really like it.

The tension bubbles under nicely until the bus scene, which is fantastic and absolutely packed with suspense (and referenced in Inglourious Basterds, funnily enough). It falls a bit flat after that, but it's still worth a watch. Great cinematography, even this early in Hitchock's career, a few comic moments, and a surprisingly dark edge.

It's quite ok but I was really happy it lasted only for 70 minutes. It's young Hitchcock and this one is just his first attempts. So, we all know what was then.

Exciting thriller. Strikingly filmed by Hitchcock.

Classic '30's Hitch. The drain, the minute hand, the carving knife and a great performance by Sylvia Sidney. Highly recommended.

"Hitchcock was not fond of this one himself and you can see why, although he captured a certain era in London with menace and atmosphere."

An amazing early Hitchcock with some really intense scenes.

Whoever "restored" this movie, or rather attempted restoring, did a really poor job, resulting in a DVD transfer which really kills the enjoyment of watching this. Very dull and faded picture, and piss-poor audio with a lot of hissing. You get the story, but some conversations are barely legible. I suppose Hitchcock nor the film itself can't be faulted for that, but still...maybe someday I'll revisit this, if a better DVD print is ever released.

Great early Hitchcock; sure it's dark, but it foreshadowed the director's darker, later works, and best personifies his pessimism.

Didn't care about any of the characters.

This one freaked me out! Very grim and modern. A nice Hitchcock surprise.

Early Hitchcock, this movie is watchable, but no where in the same zip code as Al's later films you might know and love. Sabotage is also well acted, but in that sorta-corny 1930's way of acting. You know, how everybody talks really fast, as if they have 3 hours of dialogue to fit into a 90 minute movie. But I'd see it again if it were already on AMC or TCM.