If you're savvy enough during the opening credits, when the producers thank the family and assistants of the real Nurse Cavell for helping with the historical records, you can figure out how this movie ends. It really kills all suspense, and I wish the thank-you note had been included at the end.
Because I was able to guess how it all turned out, there was zero suspense during what was supposed to be a tense war drama. The story followed the title character as she worked in a hospital in Brussels during German occupation in WWI. Because of one personal connection to a young soldier, she helps the boy sneak out of the country when he escapes from a POW camp and returns home for shelter. With the help of her friends, May Robson, Edna May Oliver, and Zazu Pitts, she successfully saves the boy's life right under German soldiers' noses.
One leads to another, and soon the four women have an underground operation. Anna Neagle stars as the famed nurse, but her energy is extremely low, and her unenthusiastic whispered delivery of each line made it very hard to get involved in her character or her plight. She was so unlikable, I found myself not really caring whether she'd get caught or not. She didn't seem to care either - either that, or she had a fresh Botox injection on her forehead and was unable to make any expressions.
I was looking forward to the supporting cast, which is why I rented it. But the only one among them who was given anything to do was George Sanders, who played a German officer. His accent was very good, but hardly made the movie worth watching. Try Edge of Darkness for a truly exciting underground operation.
