Fresh
From a directorial standpoint this is a triumph for Fritz Lang, who succeeds with singular success in capturing the spirit of the Czech people in the face of the Nazi reign of terror.
Variety Staff, Variety
Hangmen Also Die!
The shot heard 'round the world!
1943 · 2h 14m · Approved
Drama, Thriller, War
Directed by
Fritz Lang
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Hangmen Also Die!
Overview
During the Nazi occupation of Czechoslovakia, surgeon Dr. Franticek Svoboda, a Czech patriot, assassinates the brutal "Hangman of Europe", Reichsprotektor Reinhard Heydrich, and is wounded in the process. In his attempt to escape, he is helped by history professor Stephen Novotny and his daughter Mascha.
Director and cast
- Fritz Lang Director
- Brian Donlevy as Dr. Franticek Svoboda aka Karel Vanek
- Walter Brennan as Prof. Stephen Novotny
- Anna Lee as Nasha Novotny
- Gene Lockhart as Emil Czaka (brewer)
- Dennis O'Keefe as Jan Horak
- Margaret Wycherly as Ludmilla Novotny
- Nana Bryant as Mrs. Hellie Novotny
- William Roy Cast
- Hans Heinrich von Twardowski Cast
- Alexander Granach Cast
Critics on Rotten Tomatoes
Top critics, in their words
87%
Tomatometer
Rotten
For all of Mr. Lang's finesse, his film is too patient -- it runs well over two hours -- too ponderous to hit its stride as melodrama. Nor does it match in emotional power and conviction its heroic theme.
Theodore Strauss, New York Times
Fresh
The two-and-a-quarter-hour film has the iconic thrust of a silent; the pro-sacrifice resistance cant has an oddly jihadist tenor today.
Michael Atkinson, Village Voice
Fresh
Superb performances throughout, while James Wong Howe's photography perfectly captures the spirit of the occupied city, where hiding places are few and far from safe.
Geoff Andrew, Time Out
Rotten
Although Director Fritz Lang gives this familiar material occasional touches of distinction, the picture still misses Grade A rank.
TIME Magazine
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