Unseen Enemy
The Unseen Enemy in this wartime meller is Nick (Leo Carrillo), the outwardly effusive manager of a San Francisco waterfront café. To make enough money to ensure his daughter Gen's (Irene Hervey) entree into society, Nick sells his services to a gang of foreign spies, who then use Nick's establishment as a rendezvous point. The plan is to covertly send out a Japanese vessel for the purpose of raiding and destroying American merchant ships. The spies' secret code is hidden in the lyrics of a song called "Lydia", which the unwitting Gen performs on request day after day.
Insights
Plot Summary
In this wartime thriller, an inventor is murdered, and his assistant is framed for the crime. A determined district attorney believes the assistant is innocent and sets out to uncover the real killer. The investigation leads them into a dangerous world of espionage and sabotage, where the true enemy operates in the shadows.
Critical Reception
Released during World War II, 'Unseen Enemy' was a B-movie production that received moderate attention. While not a critical darling, it offered standard thrills and suspense for its time. It's generally viewed as an adequate, if unexceptional, example of early film noir and mystery elements within the context of wartime propaganda.
What Reviewers Say
- A serviceable wartime mystery with predictable twists.
- Features standard plot elements of the era, including espionage and a race against time.
- Though not highly praised, it provided decent entertainment for audiences seeking wartime thrills.
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Fun Fact
The film was made during World War II, and its themes of espionage and hidden enemies reflect the anxieties of the time.
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