TrueHello Fun premise, good actors, bad writing. This film seemed to have potential at the beginning but it quickly devolves into a trite action film. Ultimately it's very boring.

InformationRap This is one of the few movies I've ever seen where the whole audience broke into spontaneous, loud applause a third of the way in.

Adeel Hail Unshakable, witty and deeply felt, the film will be paying emotional dividends for a long, long time.

Taha Avalos The best films of this genre always show a path and provide a takeaway for being a better person.

Giallo Fanatic In my opinion. It is one of the most influential movies ever made. A lot of the elements in this movie are used a lot in the James Bond movies. Handsome hero with a number as codename, beautiful heroine who originally had to manipulate the hero but ultimately falls in love. She was Russian by the way. Which Ian Fleming used a lot in his novels and which can be seen in the James Bond movies today. Even the villain in 'Spione' are copied in a lot of spy and action movies, a mastermind who has an eye for everything, always two steps ahead of his enemies. Indeed, those important elements are used in a lot of movies today. So much that it is almost ordinary but there really is no denying how important they are and how this movies has influenced many, many movies.Now, the story and plot reminds a lot of 'Casino Royale' so I am tempted to say Ian Fleming has seen the movie and taken the story and plot to write his "ultimate spy novel" (Great book, the movie barely does justice to the novel although it is a good movie). The movie's themes are moral and humanity. The moral is explored through the characters and the fight between good and evil. The movie was thorough with it and it is not hard to understand since many movies copy it. The humanity theme is explored by making the villains more humane and has as much screen time as the heroes. Usually the bad guys are portrayed as those inhuman monsters but here the main villain Haghi is very humane although cold and calculating, that made him scary. Which in turn gave him a very strong screen presence.The genre of the movie is thriller. That is what spy movies should be, thrillers. Not action movies full of Rambos. The movie is full of mystery and intrigue as well as suspense and tension. Which modern spy movies usually lack. Spy movies should be character and plot driven because that's where it is most exciting in my opinion, not fueled by car chases and explosions. It comes from a guy who prefers visuals rather than plot, story and characters. Because that is what makes this movie so grand and that is what makes 'Casino Rayale' so great, that is what makes them stand the test of time. Fritz Lang as usual was awe inspiring in his direction, unusually for its time (even unusual today) he spent as much time on his villain as much as he did on his hero. Alfred Hitchcock did that too and Dario Argento. I am not sure of how much influence Lang had on Hitchcock, but I know how much influence he had on Argento. Argento, like Lang spent a lot of time on his villains and being more of a visual storyteller. Argento's movies even have German Expressionism feel in their acting. Dario Argento has named Fritz Lang as one of his influences.Now it is a highly influential movie and one of the most important movies ever made so it should not be missed for movie enthusiasts. I would like to give the movie 12/10 but the limit is 10/10, I can't point out enough how strong and influential this movie is, because it really is the granddaddy of all spy movies. Awesome movie that only a few movies have matched.

wvisser-leusden Having been molded for a lifetime with James Bond as the ultimate movie-spy, it takes a little effort to appreciate Fritz Lang's very good 'Spione' (= German for 'spies').Another step to take is acknowledging the level of technical advancement from the late 1920-s. For instance, watching a high-pressure scene about sending an urgent telegram doesn't make sense anymore in our age of email & internet.After having settled yourself in the right mood, time has come to appreciate this film. Excellent acting, to start with. A story that keeps you interested until its very unexpected end. All decors and scenarios are in very good style and taste.In 'Spione' the style of the short-lived German 'Weimar'-republic emerges unmistakeably. It is a great and very recognizable style, shaped by the unstable politics of its times. A style marked by fresh memories of a terrible world war, as well as by the fear for the future.Although in 1928, the year this film was made, the 'Weimar'-republic boomed, Adolf Hitler was only five years away.

John W Chance This is great film making.The whole 'James Bond' spy genre came from this film. It has it all. First, we have Haghi, the physically flawed (here wheelchair bound, and exhaling cigarette smoke out of only one nostril) but evil genius masterminding a global plot. He's played by the great Rudolf Klein-Rogge, who was the too hammy Rotwang in 'Metropolis' (1927); he totally dominates the film in terms of screen time and acting. In his 'evil' disguise (he has two others) he looks just like Lenin! Then we have the Secret Service spy hero, known as Number 326 (Willy Fritsch), who falls in love and has an affair with his Russian spy counterpart, Sonya (Gerda Maurus). Even the 'dialog' sequences between Haghi and Sonya have a Bondish flair! There's the female spy who seduces the Japanese diplomat to steal the Secret Treaty with Japan. Then there's the (seemingly) international cast of Germans, Japanese and a black bartender, and the movement between countries. There are the high tech gadgets, from the buttons on Haghi's desk, to the lapel mini-camera, and the screen relaying spy messages and the abundance of spies, moles and counterspies. Then comes the suspenseful plot to kill 326 on a train going to 'the border.' Finally, the exciting, dangerous rescue of Sonya, and the last undoing of Haghi. All this in a silent movie of 1928! The masterful cinematography by Lang and his crew make this film immensely watchable. There are fantastic dissolves and rapid cutting, great close framing, and wonderful tracking shots. What a text book of film making! The addition of a modern soundtrack to the KINO version, which uses various instruments (piano, flute, bassoon, koto, bongos and other instruments) in solo, duet, trio and ensemble passages is little more than amazing, and is without a doubt one of the most appropriate soundtracks ever made for a silent film. The music adds emphasis and feeling to every shot. One of the best moments is when the Japanese diplomat, deeply guilt ridden for allowing the evil spy Kitty (Lien Deyer, in her first film) to seduce him and steal the Treaty, commits ritual suicide (seppuku) in a tatami mat room, with koto and piano playing a duet symbolizing the clash of cultures. Masterful! Another fantastic modern soundtrack is the KINO one for 'Woman in the Moon' (1929), also directed by Lang and also starring Gerda Maurus and Willy Fritsch.There are a couple of minor glitches, however. Willy Fritsch is not a rough, tough sexy Bond figure, but just moons over Sonya like a little puppy dog whenever he sees her; but Gerda Maurus as Sonya, aware of her dual role as his enemy / lover though he at first is not, does a much better job because she displays the range of conflicted feelings appropriate to the role, and without overacting. The other problem is the train wreck. It's not really made clear what train Sonya was on and why she wasn't involved in the crash of the two trains. This problem may have stemmed from the fact that this film has been reconstructed from various sources, primarily from an Austrian print.So I'll give it a 9, not a 10, but it is certainly a film to be seen, and guaranteed to be enjoyed by anyone whether knowledgeable about silent films or not.

Joseph_Gillis Freqently throughout its 146 minutes, I found myself thinking: now where have I seen that before? Because, clearly, Alfred Hitchcock studied this 'zinger' carefully before making "The 39 Steps": not only that, but I suspect he also incorporated elements of it in at least half a dozen other of his British films.146 minutes, I said, but, while some of the early scenes in the first hour or so are somewhat repetitive, and studio-bound, once Lang cranks up the suspense,....and this is where the influences for Hitchcock were plain to see,.....you really had to hang on to your seat.The plot, despite its labyrinthine twists and turns, is 'yer common-or-garden Dr Mabuse, mad evil genius type' set for World domination. Of course it does have an endearing,....(yes '39 Steps'again),.... romantic sideline, which doesn't at all detract from the pacing or suspense.But this isn't "The Magic Mountain"..nor even 'M' with its deeper psychological overtones..you're not meant to delve deeply into it: its pure hokum, meant for enjoymentThere are some dazzling scenes: the dance/boxing-ring; the climactic 'race against time' scenes in the bank; .....ahem,.........the 'literally', breakneck-paced train scenes; that truly surreal, but riveting, ending. And, of course,Rudolf Klein Rogge, as ever, enjoys himself as the Mabuse-like,Haghi.The film features some wonderfully Expressionistic lighting by Fritz Arno Wagner; much-to-admire 'Art-Deco' like sets; my stunning 'Masters Of Cinema' DVD features a glorious score,....and I'm sure I detected Rachmaninov clips in among its most romantic moments. But, above all,it was a most assured job of direction by Lang.And I can't wait to watch it again!