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Good story, Not enough for a whole film

This is a tender, generous movie that likes its characters and presents them as real people, full of flaws and strengths.

It is encouraging that the film ends so strongly.Otherwise, it wouldn't have been a particularly memorable film

The film never slows down or bores, plunging from one harrowing sequence to the next.

Carol Reed displays his ability to combine the elements of a superb thriller with the droll comedy of the English drawing room in this espionage suspense film set during WWII.Rex Harrison shines as a Brit disguising himself as a Nazi officer so he can infiltrate German headquarters and make off with a scientist and his daughter being held captive. The film culminates in a nail-biting finale set on the German/Swiss border.Bland Margaret Lockwood plays the heroine, but it doesn't much matter that she's pretty much a drip, because Harrison is the one you want to watch anyway. Paul Henreid equips himself well as an evil German.Aside from Harrison, the highlight of the film are the incidental characters played by Basil Radford and Naunton Wayne, who play two uninvolved British civilians who are persuaded to help Harrison's team outwit the Nazis and who react exactly the same to Nazis shooting at them as they do Nazis stealing their seats on the train. These two actors were paired up and used in a very similar way in Alfred Hitchcock's film from a few years prior, "The Lady Vanishes." Though its year of release here is listed as 1940, "Night Train to Munich" was nominated for a 1941 Academy Award in the category of Best Original Story (Gordon Wellesley), an award it lost to Harry Segall for "Here Comes Mr. Jordan." Grade: A

Before Carol Reed perfected his directorial chops with a streak of classics after the war he made this mildly suspenseful and a touch improbable thriller with a patriotic message. It doesn't have the style, precision editing, or Robert Krasker lensing but Rex Harrisson and Paul Henreid duel well as adversaries with enough tension filled moments to keep things interesting.After escaping to England from Prague with his daughter (Margaret Lockwood) Dr. Bauman is lured back to Germany and into the hands of the Gestapo. British secret service agent Gus Bennet ( Harrison) is dispatched to pose as a senior officer and somehow get them back. Claiming that he and the daughter were once old flames he convinces SS members to let him try and seduce her over to their side. The premise is a bit of a stretch but Harrison looks impressive in a Nazi uniform and Henreid's ambiguous Gestapo officer is a formidable foe as he matches wits with Harrison in the tight claustrophobic confines of the Munich bound train in which Reed not only builds suspense but makes a clarion call to all Brits and free nation to do their part in defeating Nazism.

Dreadful, dated, overrated. Found it hard to believe it was directed by Carol Reed. There was no suspense, no pacing, artificial sets and miniatures, contrived unbelievable story, endless silly banter by that British duo in the last twenty minutes of the movie. I was shocked at how lethargic the pacing was, and how contrived it was at every turn. The scene between Harrison and Lockwood in the hotel room, when they are conspiring against the Nazis, was directed in the style of a drawing room comedy, as if there was absolutely no peril involved. The final shoot-out was directed and scored like a B western, not to mention at least 20 or more bullets from each gun. None of the stars were as dynamic as they are in other movies, and there wasn't a single set, as far as I could tell, that was real. The difference is that Hitchcock, not to mention Welles, wove magic both in direction and lighting, so that they could make sets somehow look real. Carol Reed was not up to the task. He got way better later, but this one was B movie all the way.

NIGHT TRAIN TO MUNICH is a very enjoyable WWII spy film, though it's also one that may be difficult to watch if you think too much, as the plot is awfully unrealistic and hard to believe. But, if you are able to put aside these problems, the overall film is entertaining and well made.Dr. Bomasch and his daughter, Anna, live in Czechoslovakia. However, when the Nazis take over the country, the Doctor is spirited out of the country because he is a genius at armor plating technology. However, just as Anna is about to join him, she is arrested and put in a concentration camp. Eventually, however, Anna is able to escape--thanks to a "nice guy" who is also an inmate (Paul Henreid). When Anna is reunited with her father, the Nazis spring a trap and take them both by force back to their native land. At this point, secret agent Rex Harrison sneaks back into Czechoslovakia and risks everything to get them back.An interesting addition to this film is the presence of Charters and Caldicott--two characters who were in Hitchcock's THE LADY VANISHES. They play the same people but with a different director--a very odd thing indeed. I liked them, though they did seem like very improbable heroes! The film is tense, the acting is fine (heck, I'd watch Rex Harrison in practically anything) and the direction is good. The problem is that sneaking in and out of Nazi territory seemed amazingly easy. The Nazis, unfortunately, were not that stupid and were also a lot more vicious than they appeared in the film.Overall, a better than average WWII film thanks to good acting and production values. Just don't look for perfection, as the film seems more designed for its propaganda value than for realism.