In her second American movie and the third in her series of collaborations with Josef Von Sternberg, Marlene Dietrich plays X-27, a war widow turned streetwalker who is recruited to spy for Austria at the end of World War I. Sent behind the lines, X-27 manages to relay information which results in a crushing defeat for the Russians. Sadly, in the meantime she has fallen in love with her opposite number, a dashing Russian aviator/spy, and after she allows him to escape from confinment awaiting execution, she finds herself facing an Austrian firing squad. Von Sternberg treats this material as flippantly as X-27 treats espionage, but Dishonored has its moments, especially at the end, when a handsome young lieutenant breaks down and refuses to shoot a woman. Victor McLaglen makes a peculiar choice as the Russian flier, but he is far better in his role than the other cast members, who range from dreadful (Gustav Von Seyffertitz as the Austrian spy chief) to anemic (Warner Oland as a high-ranking Austrian traitor). Lee Garmes was responsible for the iridescent cinematography and Travis Banton designed Dietrich's costumes.
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The review of this Movie prepared by Dave C