Movie Review: 5 Steps to Danger (1957)
Synopsis: While driving through the desert on a vacation, John Emmett's car breaks down, forcing him to sell the vehicle for what he can and find an alternative means of transportation. He thinks he gets a break when Ann Nicholson offers him a lift to Santa Fe, New Mexico in exchange for sharing the driving duties. However, while stopping for coffee, he is approached by a woman claiming to be Ann's nurse who informs him Ann recently had a mental breakdown. A few hours later, after fleeing police seeking to arrest Ann, he learns she is wanted for murdering a CIA agent. Ann, however, claims she's not a killer and is instead a German immigrant who is trying to deliver top-secret missile plans to a scientist now working for the American government.
Who's in it? The movie stars Ruth Roman, Sterling Hayden, Werner Klemperer, Jeanne Cooper and Richard Gaines.
Review: I wasn't sure what to expect when I decided to watch 5 Steps to Danger on ScreenPix this morning. It seemed to have an intriguing plot but I'm not into spy movies as much as I am into other genres. However, after watching it, I can honestly say it exceeded my expectations.
I think the thing I liked best about this movie is how there is a lot of mystery surrounding Ann (Roman). It was one of those films where she could have been telling the truth about why she needed to get to Santa Fe in a hurry. However, at the same time, there was plenty of evidence she was either lying or imagining the whole thing. She did, after all, just get released from medical care after a breakdown and had a highly suspicious wad of cash on her.
I also found myself intrigued when it came to her unwitting accomplice, John. Even if she was telling him the truth, it seemed like a situation that would either result in him getting shot at by a wide variety of people with guns or arrested for aiding a fugitive. The fact they weren't arrested despite making no effort to change their car and being handcuffed together for part of the journey added to this mystery. Were the police that bad at their jobs or was someone pulling the strings in their favor?
Once it was clear which story was the accurate one, the movie wound up having a lot of moving pieces ranging from CIA agents (who may or may not have been CIA) claiming to be there to help to Ann's psychiatrist, Dr. Simmons (Klemperer), who may or may not have been a bad guy, trying to have her committed. Even the man she was trying to see, Dr. Kissel (Karl Ludwig Lindt), seemed more than a little suspicious when he was finally introduced. It wasn't clear who could be trusted until the very end.
If I had any real complaints about the movie, it would be the part about John and Ann falling in love. Yes, it added an additional element to the story but by my count, they just met a day or two earlier and it wasn't as though he knew anything about her other than a farfetched story that may not have even been true. In other words, while the decision to marry her made some sense for the sake of the story, the romantic twist just seemed forced.
Final Opinion: It's an interesting film that does keep you guessing a bit about who could be trusted. I enjoyed it and would recommend it.
My Grade: A
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