Very satisfying American Noir shot in Denmark in the late 1950s. Many of the exteriors were clearly shot on location and make very good, atmospheric use of the city. The interior set pieces, however, are where the film really separates itself from the standard "Noir look". Noir had always been influenced, one might even say descended from, German Expressionism, but the set pieces and lighting here are almost Caligari like, the characters moving through dark rooms like wraiths. The film culminates with a spectacular chase scene that makes extensive and impressive use of helicopter shots, perhaps the most ambitious use of such angles since Nick Ray's innovative "They Live by Night", released only a few short years before this film. This movie strikes me as almost unwittingly feminist. The much slapped around and manipulated female characters might be "bad women", but unlike true femme fatales they're not pulling any strings. These are active, if not entirely willing, participants in an amoral, patriarchal game.

Before deciding that television was a good career move and leaving feature films, John Payne did this last one Hidden Fear for which he got a trip to Copenhagen. I've heard of worse reasons for a movie and worse films that came from them. Hidden Fear will never be ranked in his top 10 nor of the top ten of Andre DeToth the director.Payne plays a homicide cop who's in Copenhagen because his sister Natalie Norwick's got herself in a nice jackpot with the Danish police. She's accused of murdering her boyfriend who was a dancer/musician and something of a lowlife. Payne starts running his own investigation and it turns out that the boyfriend was trying to horn in on a counterfeiting scheme that Alexander Knox and Conrad Nagel are running.Truth be told Payne's truculent attitude probably cut a few corners, but the Danish cops probably were well on the way toward learning the truth. For that reason I can't really rate this noir film very high. In fact it could have gotten another notch in the ratings had we some color cinematography of Copenhagen and the Danish countryside.These kind of films were disappearing and Payne probably made a right choice when he left feature films.

Hidden Fear (1957) * 1/2 (out of 4) An American cop (John Payne) arrives in Denmark after his sister is arrested for murdering her boyfriend. It doesn't take long for the cop to realize that there's something more going on and that his sister wasn't behind it. One could argue that I watch way too many movies but what can I say? It's a passion of mine and something that I really love. I alway say my favorite genre is horror and that my favorite kind of movies are those with great acting (those two favorites really never go together) but I think I've seen more mystery, noir or crime films, whatever you want to call them. Each time one is on Turner Classic Movies, it get recorded and watched. Each time one gets thrown on Netflix, it gets watched. HIDDEN FEAR is exactly what you'd expect from a crime film as it features a tough good guy, an evil bad guy and the girl who is part good and part bad. HIDDEN FEAR is without question one of the worst films I've seen from the genre as it features one bad moment after another and in the end it never adds up to anything interesting. One could argue that you should never put logic into a film like this and I usually don't but I simply couldn't get around the fact that this American comes to Denmark and their police just start giving him all sorts of information about the case. This isn't believable for a number of reasons not to mention the fact that he's the brother to a murderer so why would they just release anything to him? Payne seems absolutely bored by everything going on as his performance has no energy and it's hard to tell that he's even alive. His line delivery makes it seem as if he's falling asleep and the supporting players, including Conrad Nagel, add very little. The entire plot is just one big bore and director Andre De Toth adds very little excitement or energy to the material.

This is an odd film noir movie. John Payne's career had changed with the times. Now middle-aged, he stopped playing pretty boys and acted in some very dark films like "Kansas City Confidential", "99 River Street" as well as "Hidden Fear". But, in an odd twist, "Hidden Fear" is set in Denmark! The film begins with Payne's sister being arrested for murder. Naturally she says she didn't do it and since Payne is a cop back in the States, he starts digging around to see what really occurred. His trail soon leads him to some counterfeiters. Payne plays a violent and tough guy--and this is the best aspect of the film. As for the plot, it's just okay--and a bit talky at times. Worth seeing but not at all a distinguished film.By the way, when Payne discovers some fake $100 bills, he describes them as 'Alexander Hamiltons'. Hamilton is on the American $10 bill and Ben Franklin is on the $100 (even back in the 50s). Also, get a load of that carousel in the bar near the end of the film!