For all the hype it got I was expecting a lot more!

Don't listen to the Hype. It's awful

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.

The story, direction, characters, and writing/dialogue is akin to taking a tranquilizer shot to the neck, but everything else was so well done.

There are a number of reasons that "The Counterfeit Traitor" is a great movie. The plot, the screenplay, the settings, the cast, the direction and editing – all aspects add up to a superb story produced marvelously on film. Then there's the historical aspect. The main characters were real people and the overall story is true. The names of some in this film are fictitious. But the characters are authentic, based on real people. The details and some locations in the story have been changed. But the main story is true and really happened. This film is based on a 1958 novel by the same title, written by Alexander Klein (1918-2002). But, later research since that time has uncovered more evidence and clarification of the man, Eric Erickson, and what he did. Other reviews discuss the plot and action in this film. So, my comments here will focus on the subsequent research into the real man and details. American author and biographer Stephan Talty in 2014 wrote an update on Eric Erickson, his life and his experiences. In "The Secret Agent: In Search of America's Greatest World War II Spy," Talty dug into Erickson's childhood and upbringing. He searched his papers and personal records in Swedish archives. And, he found previous unknown items to verify many parts of his Erickson's story. There can be no doubt that Erickson was the most important spy the Allies had in World War II. His efforts did more to stop Germany's war machine and bring down the Nazi regime, than any other spy. This movie is a wonderful picture of Erickson's daring ventures. But the real life action even was far more daring and risky than the movie portrays. Yet, Erickson survived it. Many spy stories have been written, and some very good films made about wartime espionage. None is better than this true story of the most important spy for the Allies in World War II. Here are some anecdotes about Erickson, about his exploits, and the story as shown in the film, compared to real life. The original book and film have Frau Marianne Möllendorf as a German co-conspirator with Erickson. She was an "Army widow," whose husband was off in the Eastern Front. She is tortured and then shot by firing squad, which Erickson sees from a jail cell. Author Stephan Talty said that, like most other sources, he had thought Erickson had made up Frau Marianne. Until he found a stash of letters from Anne-Maria Freudenreich and her photo. She was a very real person whom Erickson loved and saw tortured and executed at Moabit Prison. After the war, Erickson had said, "If she was alive, she'd undoubtedly be my wife."The incident of the boy, Hans Holtz, in the movie was true. Erickson's friend had been wary of his own son who was brought up in school with the Nazi brainwashing. Erickson didn't join the OSS in 1939, but in 1942. He had, in fact, collaborated with the Nazis as a Swedish businessman, trading with Germany and making big profits. This business paved the way for his easy entry into the Nazi and military hierarchy when he began to spy for the Allies. Erickson had not been coerced into spying, as the film shows, but sought out the Allies himself. It may have been conscience, author Talty says, but Erickson decided that he needed to help bring down Nazi Germany. Erickson was conversant in several languages and did business with Japan and several other countries besides Germany. His parents were Swedish immigrants and he grew up in New York. He graduated from Cornell University, where he played baseball and football. He worked in the oil fields in Texas and soon became wealthy. He moved to Sweden where he set up his own international oil business. Erickson actually denounced his Jewish friend, as shown in the film, to help prove his Nazi ideology and loyalty. That was to gain his unquestioning entry into the upper echelons of Nazi Germany. Because of the open support Erickson feigned for Nazi Germany, he and his family were scorned in public life in Sweden. His wife had a severe mental breakdown and spent the rest of her life in a mental institution. By 1944, Germany began to rely on synthetic fuel to power its war machine. The Nazi architect, Albert Speer, had 25 plants in production. They were hidden in secret locations around the Third Reich. Locating these became the main drive of Erickson's mission. The information he obtained led to Allied bombing raids that destroyed these plants. That soon had a crippling effect on Germany's forces. Ironically, the wealthy Swedish traitor, who was scorned for helping the Nazi synfuel program, was the source of destroying that program.

Watching them weave the story of a novice spy stay one step ahead of the Germans was great fun. He works from his gut and his emotions rather than from his rationality, and as the story tellers ratchet up the suspense, we see our protagonist acting more and more desperately.The sets and locations make this great. We see a devastated Munich, various petroleum refineries, a scary old-fashioned paternoster, air-raid shelters, Nazi prisons, red-light districts and cathedrals.It delivers for the genre: it has indoctrinated children ala '1984', a slow-hanging scene of a prole, ever-present gestapo, secret signals, blackmail, the moral uncertainty of actions during war, a kitten with a whip, an execution scene, an escape attempt from Germany through the underground, cyanide capsules, chasing German Shepherds, etc.If I had a complaint, it would be that the love interest story seems unmotivated by the plot and moves too slowly. There is no humor, but then again, I don't miss it.

I first saw "The Conterfeit Traitor" when I was a teenager, and I remember how much I enjoyed it then. I hadn't seen it since, and I tuned in to it about halfway on TCM. I was ready to dismiss my liking the film as a folly of my youth because it seemed to be slow and overacted. However, I stuck with it and I'm happy I did. The film really began to move when William Holden's love interest was arrested by the Gestapo, and it became emotionally absorbing to its end. The last hour of the film is as good as anything I've ever seen about the Second World War. I was particularly fascinated by a scene where the Danish unite against the Nazis in a nonviolent protest with no weapons except bicycles and bells. The small part of Klaus Kinsky is also very touching. I highly recommend this film.

The beginning-the first third overall-is rather tedious ,with too much voice-over.No interesting character emerges and it essentially consists of William Holden's shuttling back and forth between Suede and Germany. One feels like calling it a day but wait....The second third makes Lilli Palmer's character the center of the plot:a very interesting one,this German wealthy woman who betrays her country because of her Christian belief.This spy is not a routine femme fatale but a human being,who is smitten with remorse because the bombing which her informations allowed led to children's death.She has wonderful lines:"in a war,every victim becomes a brother".Two marvelous scenes:the first one ,probably the strongest in the whole movie,shows Palmer in a confessional,telling her sins to a man she thinks is a priest;the second one,she's to be shot in a jail,while Holden desperately tries,behind his bars, to say a last goodbye to her.Lilli Palmer's performance is moving,responsible and sensitive.By the third part,no more Palmer,but the movie has hit its stride.Holden's return to Suede becomes an odyssey,with a lot of traps and his character has grown wiser and more human.He's able to show some compassion,probably the woman's influence.One of the most intriguing characters plays a small part now:a young boy,about 12,member of the Hitlerian Youth,proud of his uniform,he will make your hair stand on end.At the end of the movie,Holden has completely understood Palmer's line about the victims/brothers as the scene with Klaus Kinski testifies.George Seaton has made an entertaining movie,which does not forget to ask questions and to moot responsibility.He does flay the nazi horrors,but he also puts the blame on the English agents ,stuffing themselves with lobster and sipping Champagne,while other people die unnoticed ,simply because the victims are their brothers.