Un Ami Viendra Ce Soir (1945)

Synopsis
Returning to films after a six-year absence, French director Raymond Bernard called the shots on Un Ami Viendra Ce Soir (A Friend Will Come Tonight). Michel Simon heads the cast of this pulse-pounding WWII resistance film, set surprisingly in an insane asylum. In truth, the establishment is but a front for anti-Nazi underground activities; after all, who would suspect a group of lunatics? Some of the scenes in which the French patriots feign insanity to throw the Nazis off the track may seem a bit ludicrous to American viewers, but director Bernard makes up for these off-kilter moments with a thrilling finale. Un Ami Viendra ce Soir works on a pure-entertainment level, but it isn't nearly as good as La Bataille du Rails, Rene Clement's definitive French Underground drama. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide