Sabotage Squad (1942) User Reviews

Low budget flag-waver

[gordonl56 · 7/10 · 25 January 2009]

SABOTAGE SQUAD - 1942

This is a low budget Columbia Pictures' flag waver with Bruce Bennett and Edward Norris in the lead roles. It is sort of a low budget knockoff of Hitchcock's successful spy noir, SABOTEUR.

Norris and his chum, George McKay are down and out horse players who get in deep trouble with the cops. McKay, a pickpocket when not playing the ponies, lifts the wallet of a Nazi spy. The Nazis are not amused and are soon on the trail of him and Norris.

To make matters worse, Norris and McKay get busted on a gambling pinch. It seems there was a secret emblem on the Nazis wallet. An emblem the FBI and cops were on the look out for. They think Norris and McKay are mixed up with the Nazi swines. Needless to say the two agree to help the cops and go undercover to help round up the Nazi types.

The female in the mix is Kay Harris, and the head of the Nazi spy ring is the always slimy, Sidney Blackmer. Bruce Bennett plays the man from the FBI.

Quick and to the point light weight fare churned out by the prolific b-film helmsman, Lew Landers. It was nothing unusual for Landers to crank out a dozen low renters a year.

An OK time-waster that speeds by with a 60 minute runtime.

The Nazis are no match for 2 bit crims in America

[Asgardian · 6/10 · 13 April 2007]

Neat little tale of Nazi agents in USA with the task of sabotaging major industry employed in the war effort. The Nazi commander has an identifying medallion, which he is silly enough to keep within his wallet, this he frequently flashes around showing large sums of money enclosed. Naturally no self respecting pickpocket can resist such a target, and just as naturally, in an unrelated raid, the police come across the medallion. Hence the hunt by the authorities for the man who owns the wallet is commenced.

The pickpocket and his pal, although shady, are true blue Yankee doodle dandy's, and set about to track down the dirty Nazi creep, and by doing so, help get themselves into the authorities "good books".

There is no Olivier here, just the usual bunch of B & C movie stalwarts, all putting the gasps and punches in the correct places. All in all a worthy time filler if WW2 propaganda movies are your cup of tea, that is if you manage to find a copy or showing of this nearly forgotten movie.

Pure propaganda actionner

[searchanddestroy-1 · 15 March 2023]

It is interesting for moviegoers seeking gems from prolofic B director Lew Landers whose films are always interesting to watch. This one is predictable, short, not that unbearable and the perfect alibi to stay one hour longer at home or in the sofa before going to bed. Bruce Bennet is the main interest in this little programmer. If you are reluctant to propaganda stuff, don't try it, it will bore you. Lew Landers made so many more films, that you can finally forget this one. The ending is quite good, though, for a propaganda stuff, it could have been worse. The romance element annoyed me, but a propaganda film rarely avoids romance, because made during the war, during the fights, and romance scheme is unavoidable to help audiences to forget the griefs.