Das Verrätertor (1964) User Reviews

Don't nibble on your fingers, Klaus!

[Coventry · 7/10 · 14 February 2021]

Edgar Wallace was British himself, and the vast majority of his stories take place in central London, and yet the film-adaptations of his stories primarily come from Germany. So many even, that they received a very own term in German; - the "Krimi". Wallace is as British as afternoon tea and pie with custard, is what writer Jimmy Sangster and director Freddie Francis must have thought, so let's bring him home! Although miles and miles out of their comfort zone (Sangster and Francis are best known for their horror accomplishments for the Hammer Studios) the duo delivers one of the finest Wallace adaptations I've seen thus far!

"Traitor's Gate" is a crime caper/heist thriller, with many characters and ingenious plot aspects. The rich businessman Mr. Trayne schemes a wicked plan to steal the valuable Crown Jewels from the heavily guarded Tower of London, but there are many tricky factors, including the role of a doppelganger and the escape via a vessel on the Thames. The film benefices from a solid and fast-paced script, without unnecessary sub plots and dull sequences, and splendid acting performances. Although he isn't really one of the lead characters, the unsurpassable Klaus Kinski once again steals the show as the cold, relentless and arrogant hired killer. His character also constantly nibbles on his fingers, which is undoubtedly something that Kinski added himself. Krimi-regular Eddi Arent is also present as the comic relief, but luckily he isn't even half as irritating as usual.

West German GRUSELKRIMI with Albert LIEVEN and Margot TROOGER

[ZeddaZogenau · 5/10 · 17 March 2024]

Not exactly my favorite Wallace flick!

The co-production with the British means there is more London flair than usual, but the heist film elements are all too comforting. Eddi Arent is extremely annoying as a West German tourist, he reminded me a lot of the idiot who is made fun of by Audrey Hepburn in "Charade". That's how the European neighbors saw the annoying Teutons!

Catherine Schell (later the sister-in-law of world star Hildegard Knef) and the ladylike Margot Trooger, who made a much more impression as the "Ringer"'s wife, also act disappointingly.

Ultimately, it's a matter of taste: for me, the film is a trivial, run-of-the-mill crime thriller; I miss the silly, scary atmosphere of the other West German Edgar Wallace films.

Even Klaus Kinski cannot save it

[christopher-underwood · 4/10 · 10 October 2015]

Neither the writing of Jimmy Sangster nor the directing of Freddie Francis can lift this Edgar Wallace inspired co-production out of the very ordinariness that is its dismal B movie status. Even Klaus Kinski cannot save it though he does well despite seeming to have forgotten to have been given many lines or just forgotten to deliver them. There is one excellent sequence and that features Kinski shooting someone while a scene in a Soho strip club proceeds. Both are cut together most effectively and the club looks most authentic. There is a fair bit of location shooting but mainly the main tourist spots. And I can avoid no longer mentioning the main drag, the deadeningly annoying central plot here of the attempted stealing of the jewels from the Tower of London. As if the whole notion was not preposterous enough the way they go about it is farcical. Also the Germans might have been interested to watch all the marching about of soldiers and yeoman but I don't think many others would be.

unusual Freddie Francis flick

[searchanddestroy-1 · 3 February 2008]

I was surprised to discover this little feature produced with Germany and england, which takes place in London, and where actors are not only British. Of course.

This story is taken from a Edgard Wallace novel. It's about a gang of experienced robbers who plan to steal the crown jewels in the Tower of London. I consider this movie better than the other ones inspired from Edgard Wallace, most German, flat and boring.

This movie is pretty fast paced and violent, for the 60's. The mark of the British "film noir".

Klaus Kinski play a ruthless killer, as usual. Not a surprise. But it brings some spice to this feature.

And keep in mind that the director, Freddie Francis, was known rather as a horror one, for the Hammer, for instance, and not as a thriller specialist.

Could it all be true?

[Horst_In_Translation · 4/10 · 13 September 2016]

Obviously not. But the plot is not the biggest problem here if they had actually constructed this story around interesting settings and characters. "Das Verrätertor" is a co-production between the United Kingdom and West Germany from 1964, so this one already had its 50th anniversary 2 years ago. It should be no surprise to anybody as a consequence that this is still a black-and-white film. Of course, it has sound as the silent era was long gone. The director is Freddie Francis and the writer who adapted Edgar Wallace's work here was Jimmy Sangster and the mention of Wallace should already tell you what to expect here. It is a crime movie with occasional subtle humor just like they all are, even if this one is English language in the original and not German like so many others. The cast is mostly British, which is why I am not familiar with any of the names here. No idea if these actors are still known in Britain. However, Klaus Kinski and Adrian Hoven are, of course, still very well-known here in Germany because of their bodies of work, even if they are long gone of course. The title advertises the film with Kinski, but this is really just audience bait as his character is everything but a crucial core character in this film. Most of the time, he is just standing around honestly. It is a bit more unusual compared to other Wallace films as there is much more focus on the bad guys here than on the cops trying to catch them. And you also see that it is a more British film than usual because of the plot being all about stealing the Jewels from the Tower. The Royals are mentioned on several occasions. But sadly, these 85 minutes are also proof that different does not always mean good. i was as underwhelmed by this one here as by most of the other Edgar Wallace films I have seen, so yes, I am certainly biased by having seen so much from the series. It all feels really mediocre and sometimes even downright unrealistic. There's one or two blatant examples of moments that really did not make any sense at all in every Wallace movie and I don't think it can be excused from the comedic entertainment perspective. Also not too much a fan of happy endings pushed into the audience's faces like it is the case here and lets be honest: The characters and their purposes rarely differ at all in these Edgar Wallace films. It all feels interchangeable and all this is also very true for "Traitor's Gate". Don't watch.