Overview
A man on the run fights to clear his name and stop a deadly conspiracy.
Ember's analysis
- Pacing
- Brisk
- Intensity
- Strong
- Complexity
- Easy to follow
- Violence
- Mild
- breathless
- paranoid
- melodramatic
- classic cinema night
- hitchcock marathon
What critics said
Critics broadly regard the film as a fast, high-tension Hitchcock melodrama whose suspenseful set pieces and political warning outweigh an implausible, sometimes illogical chase plot.
What sets it apart
May contain story progression spoilers
Barry Kane is arrested for aircraft-factory sabotage despite his innocence and must flee while investigating the real perpetrators.
Charles Tobin appears respectable while leading a network of fascist-supporting saboteurs embedded in American society.
The pursuit travels across the United States and culminates at the Statue of Liberty, transforming iconic locations into tense action spaces.
The saboteur network is composed of outwardly clean and patriotic citizens, directly reflecting wartime fears of internal subversion.
Films like Saboteur, and why
North by Northwest
shared innocent-man-on-the-run thriller structure, mistaken identity, cross-country pursuit, and suspenseful set pieces
The 39 Steps
shared wartime paranoia, fascist conspiracy, romantic partnership, and morally charged espionage melodrama
The Lady Vanishes
shared black-and-white suspense, ordinary protagonists entangled in political conspiracy, and escalating pursuit
Movie Details
- Director
- Alfred Hitchcock
- Release Date
- 1942-04-22
- Runtime
- 109 min
- Rating
- 6.9 / 10 (564)
Cast
- Robert Cummings
- Priscilla Lane
- Otto Kruger
- Alan Baxter
- Clem Bevans
- Norman Lloyd
- Alma Kruger
- Vaughan Glaser
- Dorothy Peterson
- Ian Wolfe
Where to watch in United States
- Rent
- Amazon Video, Apple TV Store, Google Play Movies, YouTube, Fandango At Home
- Buy
- Amazon Video, Apple TV Store, Google Play Movies, YouTube, Fandango At Home
Streaming options come from TMDB and change over time.
Common questions
- What is Saboteur about?
- An unjustly accused aircraft worker races across wartime America to expose the fascist conspirators who framed him.
- What is Saboteur like to watch?
- Ember's analysis rates the pacing of Saboteur as brisk, its intensity as strong and its storytelling as easy to follow.
- Is Saboteur violent?
- Only mildly. Ember rates the violence in Saboteur as mild.
- What did critics think of Saboteur?
- Critics broadly regard the film as a fast, high-tension Hitchcock melodrama whose suspenseful set pieces and political warning outweigh an implausible, sometimes illogical chase plot.
- Which films are like Saboteur?
- Films with a similar feel include North by Northwest, The 39 Steps, and The Lady Vanishes.
- How long is Saboteur?
- Saboteur runs 109 minutes.
- Where can I watch Saboteur?
- In United States, Saboteur is available to rent or buy from Amazon Video, Apple TV Store, Google Play Movies, YouTube, Fandango At Home.
