| Counterblast | |
| Director: | Paul L. Stein |
| Producer: | Louis H. Jackson |
| Starring: | Robert Beatty Mervyn Johns Nova Pilbeam Margaretta Scott |
| Music: | Hans May |
| Cinematography: | Moray Grant James Wilson |
| Editing: | Joseph Sterling |
| Studio: | British National Films |
| Distributor: | Pathé Pictures International |
| Runtime: | 99 minutes |
| Country: | United Kingdom |
| Language: | English |
Counterblast (also known as Devil's Plot) is a 1948 British thriller film directed by Paul L. Stein and starring Robert Beatty, Mervyn Johns and Nova Pilbeam.[1] [2] It was written by Guy Morgan and Jack Whittingham, and made by British National Films at Elstree Studios.
A Nazi scientist escapes from prison, murders a leading professor and takes his place at a research laboratory, where he experiments with biological warfare with which he intends to wage the next war against Britain.
The Monthly Film Bulletin wrote: "The story, which is not only topical but which also seems rather disturbingly plausible, offers plenty of scope to Mervyn Johns to display to the full his dramatic ability, and as Bruckner he makes the most of his opportunities. ... Robert Beatty renders strong Sipport as Rankin and Nova Pilbeam is well cast as Tracy."[3]
Kine Weekly wrote: "Espionage romantic melodrama, built on solid rather than imaginative stage lines. ... A trifle far-fetched and over-long, it nevertheless holds the interest and sees that poetic justice spectacularly overtakes the villain in the end. The stars and supporting players are more than equal to their task and the staging has polish."[4]
Picture Show wrote: "Can you believe in a German scientist escaping from a P.O.W. camp in England, murdering an English scientist, just arrived, from a ten-year stay in Australla, and taking his identity, to hold a responsible job at a scientific research station while he secretly continues his studies in bacterial warfare in preparation for the next Nazi war? If you can, you will probably enjoy this melodrama, for it is efficiently acted and convincingly set."[5]
In British Sound Films: The Studio Years 1928–1959 David Quinlan rated the film as "average", writing: "Holes in plot spoil nicely constructed idea."[6]
The Radio Times Guide to Films gave the film 2/5 stars, writing: "Among the first films to consider Nazi experiments into germ warfare, this brisk British thriller boasts the interesting premise of turning a wanted war criminal into an accidental hero. ... This was an ambitious picture for its time."[7]