Boggie made great classic movies,but this one certainly is not one of them,the mix of a serious matter with comedy it's too much,unconvincing plot driven the movie to a low degree,some scenes are really great like in Central Park,but the remains is poor saved by Boggie's charisma together with quite often perfection acting of Conrad Veitd and Peter Lorre...silly patriotic in time war!!l'd expected more!! Resume: First watch: 2017 / How many: 1 / Source: DVD / Rating: 7

A colorful gang of hoodlums, led by Humphrey Bogart, investigate the murder of a baker and uncover a Nazi plot. This one's a real treat with a terrific cast. The characters are like something from a Damon Runyon story. Bogie's gang is full of reliable comedic actors like William Demarest, Frank McHugh, and Jackie Gleason. Jane Darwell plays Bogie's mom and Kaaren Verne the dame he falls for. Pre-Casablanca teaming of Bogie with Conrad Veidt and Peter Lorre, who play the main Nazis. That's not all: Judith Anderson, Wallace Ford, Barton MacLane, Edward Brophy, Phil Silvers...a really great lineup. A fun movie with snappy patter and good comedy, action, and intrigue. Bogart fans will, of course, love this. If there's a negative, it's that it's a little overlong for a movie of its type.

Even for the supercharged, ultra-patriotic atmosphere of WWII this film had to have been an embarrassment to all concerned. It's hard to believe Bogart was in it this far into his career. I'm not sure what it was supposed to be, a spy-caper, a spy-spoof, a mixture? Everyone comes off bad, especially the cops who in their utter incompetence actually help the spies. These last ones come off a bit better but one is left wondering how they managed to recruit such a sizable stable of agents. As for the good guys, Bogart's gang, they're not much better, relying on unfounded guesswork, Ma's hunches, and blind luck to thwart the bad guys. And speaking of Bogart, what exactly was he? He's described as a promoter but of what we're never told. He seems to gamble a lot and has a large retinue but what's his racket? And how come none of them were drafted? This one would be a total bust were it not for Jackie Gleason as one of Bogart's henchmen, Judith Anderson in a reliably evil role, Frank McHugh who's always a hoot, and the lovely Kaaren Verne who we don't see enough.

This is not the most well-written script. Shame on you Leo Rosten of Yiddish Dictionary fame, if indeed you wrote some of this. However it is fascinating for all the famous actors in it. There is some racialism. The scene with the black valet "Saratoga" played by McDaniel, shining Bogart's shoes and being scolded for wearing his clothes is revealing of the times. To see Jackie Gleason in a bit part is disconcerting. Many others pop up, including Phil Silvers and William Demerest. Bogart and Lorre are handsomely young. On the other hand, the scene containing the toys, now antique, is very attention-grabbing for our times especially the action toys of the day. The simmering envy and anger of the unattractive Nazi woman (Dame Judith Anderson)after she is slapped,and her revenge is portrayed very dramatically, as in a Greek tragedy. The spy meeting is ridiculous. How the Nazis couldn't tell Bogart didn't know German, and was talking double-talk defies credibility. A very strange movie.