This character was not a nice guy. A sociopath with a capital S. I can't imagine spies being this bad. This guy is just one of those in life you throw on the scrap heap and forget about him.
Peter Lorre plays a detective story writer visiting a party when he happens on a local cop who mentions he's a fan of his work. He also mentions the recent death of a super spy...Dimitrios. He proceeds to tell him what he knows about Dimitrios. Lorre gets very intrigued about this character and decides it will make a great new story. Along the way he runs into Dimitrios' acquaintances and enemies. Syndey Greenstreet being one of them. With this we follow through to every European locale to learn more about this elusive Greek Euro spy.
I really enjoyed this little crime gem. It has all the earmarks as other films of its time. It has a similar feel to Maltese Falcon and a few other films. The crux of this character is you only learn about him through others recollections. Nobody really knows him except a select few. He's almost a myth. He has the mystique and mystery of Keyser Soze and the absolute sociopathic tendencies of Harry Lyme. This was a full 6 years before the Third Man to. Dimitrios is a seriously loathsome character.
I think any who enjoyed The Maltese Falcon will indeed dig this one. Peter Lorre was pigeon-holed into these types of characters but there was a reason for it...he was perfect at em. It's easy to see why so many people liked this little guy. He's intriguing and you feel for him because of his stature...but don't be fooled. He's no pushover.
A fine little crime film worth seeing more than once.
Peter Lorre plays a detective story writer visiting a party when he happens on a local cop who mentions he's a fan of his work. He also mentions the recent death of a super spy...Dimitrios. He proceeds to tell him what he knows about Dimitrios. Lorre gets very intrigued about this character and decides it will make a great new story. Along the way he runs into Dimitrios' acquaintances and enemies. Syndey Greenstreet being one of them. With this we follow through to every European locale to learn more about this elusive Greek Euro spy.
I really enjoyed this little crime gem. It has all the earmarks as other films of its time. It has a similar feel to Maltese Falcon and a few other films. The crux of this character is you only learn about him through others recollections. Nobody really knows him except a select few. He's almost a myth. He has the mystique and mystery of Keyser Soze and the absolute sociopathic tendencies of Harry Lyme. This was a full 6 years before the Third Man to. Dimitrios is a seriously loathsome character.
I think any who enjoyed The Maltese Falcon will indeed dig this one. Peter Lorre was pigeon-holed into these types of characters but there was a reason for it...he was perfect at em. It's easy to see why so many people liked this little guy. He's intriguing and you feel for him because of his stature...but don't be fooled. He's no pushover.
A fine little crime film worth seeing more than once.