Flight from Vienna

Another boring film from quickie producer E. J. Fancey. Fancey seemed to have the uncanny knack of turning everything he made into the most tedious fare imaginable and FLIGHT FROM VIENNA is no exception. The storyline concerns a Hungarian defector who escapes from the Iron Curtain but is coerced into going back to rescue both his wife and a top scientist by the British intelligence.

Sadly for a Cold War thriller this film is almost entirely devoid of thrills and merit. The main character, played by Theodore Bikel, is one of the dullest imaginable and has no redeeming qualities whatsoever. The reliable John Bentley is a little better in support but has very little to work with.

FLIGHT FROM VIENNA is only an hour long but it feels at least twice that thanks to the slow pacing and talky nature of the script. In fact the production values make this look so dated that it could pass for a film made in the 1930s given the right storyline. Even fans of British B-films from the 1950s will struggle to enjoy this one.