Ministry of Fear (1944) - Fritz Lang

Stephen Neale has just been released after serving two years in an asylum for the murder of his wife.  Unjustly committed for euthanizing his terminally ill wife, Steven is now free, discovering that the world outside is just as volatile, living in London during the German bombings of World War II.  While attempting to readjust to life, Stephen accidently stumbles across a German spy ring, unsure who he can turn to or trust.  Fritz Lang's Ministry of Fear is a engrossing thriller that masterfuly lives off the uncertainty and fear of the unknown to craft its paranoia.  This is a film that takes the viewer on a ride with its main protagonist, throwing them into a world where no one can be trusted, keeping them in the dark as to who can be trusted by the film's main protagonist.  Lang directs the film with bravado, masterfully using shadows and light to create an eery setting of paranoia in which Stephen has to navigate.  As a whole, Ministry of Fear is not a truly memorable story, being an adequate spy thriller, but there are moments throughout, due to Lang's visual mastery that are very memorable.  While this film is far from top-notch Fritz Lang, Ministry of Fear is a film that blends the director's more artistic talents with a fast-paced exercise in World War II intrigue, making it a fun who-dunnit story drenched in paranoia and mystery. 

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