Counterblast (1948)

Sorry, this movie sucks

One of my all time favorites.

It’s fine. It's literally the definition of a fine movie. You’ve seen it before, you know every beat and outcome before the characters even do. Only question is how much escapism you’re looking for.

It's the kind of movie you'll want to see a second time with someone who hasn't seen it yet, to remember what it was like to watch it for the first time.

I have to admit that one of my greatest cinematic guilty pleasures is the horror of the Nazi film (unfortunately, certain political trends recently in my neighbour to the south, the United States, make me unfortunately feel that similar ways of thinking have yet to be eradicated). Thankfully, being born as I was in the late 60's, I didn't have to experience such terror firsthand, but it's fascinating to see, through the wonders of cinema, examples of that fascist type of thinking, carried out to its fruition (some of my favourites in this area are quite controversial films, like 'Salo, or the 120 Days of Sodom', 'The Night Porter' and 'Dr. Strangelove'). At least in my estimation, I have no idea how I would have acted in either polarity of the situation: either being a German and told to act accordingly, or being a concentration camp inmate. I am simply thankful I didn't have to experience either horrific scenario.This film was an unexpected pleasure. Though no star power is behind it, or budget to speak of, and though there is suspense and a good script, it could have been a lot better handled, both in terms of direction and cinematography (it has 'British 40's B-picture' written all over it, while it's crying out for a capable helmer such as Sir Carol Reed, Sir Alfred Hitchcock, or The Archers, each of which would have made a minor masterpiece out of it). I am very thankful that it was included in my Mill Creek 'Nightmare Worlds' 50-film pack, or honestly I would have never heard of it. Now my main ambition is to get all of their sets, and see what other cinematic hidden treasures I can discover!

If in 1949 you were casting for a German leading part whom would you chose if it were not a German actor?Maybe Anton Walbrook or Curt Jurgens but not Mervyn Johns.It is bad enough that this escaped German POW has a Welsh accent,but he then kills an Australian doctor but still has the same voice.At a dance he meets the commander of the POW camp from where he escaped but is still not recognised.He is helped throughout by this Nazi cell which somehow exists in London despite the war having been over for 4 years.At ever twist and turn the illogicality of the plot hits you squarely in the face.The ending of course is pure irony.However at 99 minutes the film is far too long for one to give it the benefit of the doubt.Little wonder that it has not been shown on TV here.

The title of this film didn't come up when I typed in "Counterblast", so I used actor Robert Beatty's name who's listed at the top of the credits for this surprisingly effective mystery story. I'm not sure why he's got top billing because Mervyn Johns appears to do all the heavy lifting in his role as Dr. Bruckner, the 'Beast of Ravensbruck'. As an escaped Nazi war criminal, Bruckner assumes the identity of Australian microbiologist Dr.Richard Forrester after killing him in his London hotel room. Bruckner's mission is to develop a germ warfare concoction that can eventually be used to secure Nazi victory.For a Nazi on the lam, a couple of things puzzled me. Why for example, in his haste to leave the hotel after killing Forrester, did he stop to pay his room bill? And what conceivable purpose could there have been to lugging around a set of golf clubs other than to arouse the suspicion of his new lab assistant Rankin (Beatty)? Finally, for a world class bacteriologist himself, Bruckner should have been slick enough not to get tripped up on that little detail about his preferred lab chemical being exclusively German made.But I guess none of that really matters because the overall story is a fairly intriguing one, with Mervyn Johns donning a sinister countenance in direct contrast to the character of Bob Cratchit from my favorite version of "Scrooge", the 1951 Christmas classic. Uncharacteristically, this Nazi softens up enough over the course of the story to fall for his lab helper (Nova Pilbeam) and mingle with the aristocrats of British high society. You almost get to the point of liking the guy, but come on, he's a Nazi. So it's fittingly ironic that Bruckner meets his end in a manner suited to his profession - one could say it was a gas.

I've always like Mervyn Johns, especially his portrayal of Bob Cratchit in the Alistair Sim "A Christmas Carol." Here's an about face where he plays a ruthless post war Nazi, attempting to find a cure for the plague. His motive is to find a cure so that this horrible disease can be unleashed on the enemy, but his people will continue to prosper. He kills a famous biologist and assumes his identity. He holes up in a small English town, though he is wanted throughout England. The problem is that he is so lacking in people skills that he draws all kinds of suspicion from his co-workers. A little kindness, a little compassion, and he could have pulled it off. He, of course, would take on the typical view of the Nazi hierarchy, humorless, godless, vicious. Johns is fantastic in his role. He tempers his anger by covering things up, but he becomes emotionally attached to what he can't have, the young woman who is his lab assistant. Still, he comes across as a humanitarian and is able to move around, doing noble work. He is forgiven for his eccentricities because of this. Watch this for some nice acting and a world that has just stepped out of a horrible war.