Circle of Danger is essentially a British movie with a Hollywood director and American star. It ends up, seemingly by accident, very much in the vein of Ealing and other solid 1950s UK crime dramas.
What viewers may find confusing is the movie's split personality. It feels as if the makers started out to do a Hitchcockian thriller, akin to The 39 Steps or Foreign Correspondent, but became preoccupied with what should have been the incidental romance sub-plot.
The result is a pleasant little romance, with Milland and Roc very likable as the unlikely couple - and a quirky mystery sub-plot percolating in the background, serving mainly to move the two lovers inexorably closer together.
The filmmakers seem to have realized this. By the end of the movie, it hardly seems to matter what actually happened to Milland's brother during the war. Instead, Milland's quest for the truth leads him to unusual sort of climax, handled with an admirably light touch by director Tourneur.
If you're looking for an edge-of-your-seat mystery, you may feel short-changed. But if you can let go of that expectation - and ignore the movie's lurid title - you'll discover a nice curl-up-on-a-rainy-afternoon romance, enlivened by some great British character actors, and a lovely selection of locations spanning England, Scotland and Wales.
What viewers may find confusing is the movie's split personality. It feels as if the makers started out to do a Hitchcockian thriller, akin to The 39 Steps or Foreign Correspondent, but became preoccupied with what should have been the incidental romance sub-plot.
The result is a pleasant little romance, with Milland and Roc very likable as the unlikely couple - and a quirky mystery sub-plot percolating in the background, serving mainly to move the two lovers inexorably closer together.
The filmmakers seem to have realized this. By the end of the movie, it hardly seems to matter what actually happened to Milland's brother during the war. Instead, Milland's quest for the truth leads him to unusual sort of climax, handled with an admirably light touch by director Tourneur.
If you're looking for an edge-of-your-seat mystery, you may feel short-changed. But if you can let go of that expectation - and ignore the movie's lurid title - you'll discover a nice curl-up-on-a-rainy-afternoon romance, enlivened by some great British character actors, and a lovely selection of locations spanning England, Scotland and Wales.