The Counterfeit Traitor
Directed by George Seaton
Written by George Seaton based on the book by Alexander Klein
1962/US
Perlberg-Seaton Productions
First viewing/Amazon Prime
Eric Erickson: Suddenly, he becomes your brother.
William Holden has played the cynic forced against his will to do good many times. This movie was not my favorite of these.
Erick Erickson is an American-born Swede who renounced his US citizenship when he moved permanently back to Sweden. In neutral Sweden, his business is brokering oil refined in Germany. He is “blacklisted” for this activity courtesy of some Allied spies who blackmail him into becoming an agent. His cover is arranging for Germany to build a refinery in Sweden. This requires him to travel back and forth frequently. In order to establish himself as a Nazi sympathizer, Erick alienates his wife and all of his friends.
Erick’s spy contact in Germany is Marianne Möllendorf (Lily Palmer). She is in the spy game as a committed Christian. Naturally the two fall in love. Erick eventually begins to see things her way. Things get more dangerous from here. With Hugh Griffith as Erick’s controller.
This movie is OK but didn’t wow me. I felt like I had seen it several times before. The IMDb rating is 7.6 out of 10 so your mileage may vary.
Trailer
