Danger Within – 1958 | 115 mins | War | B&W

Plot Synopsis

Ingenious combination of World War II P.O.W. escape film and whodunit that successfully mixes tension with dashes of droll humour. From the novel ‘Death in Captivity’ by Michael Gilbert.

Attempted escapers at a British Officers P.O.W camp in Northern Italy in 1943 are dying despite apparently shrewd escape plans; it’s clear that there is a traitor amongst the Allied ranks tipping off the enemy. The escape committee, headed by Lt-Col Baird (Richard Todd) turn its attention to unmasking him, and to do so during a mass breakout attempt of 400 prisoners. Opposite Baird is the senior British officer Lt. Col. Huxley (Bernard Lee), a more cautious man who demands to assess and approve any future breakout attempts given the recent spate of failures. Watching over the prisoners with serene confidence is sadistic Captain Benucci (Peter Arne), who seemingly knows beforehand every tunnel and breakout the prisoners attempt. The inmates hit upon the idea of using Captain Callander’s (Dennis Price) forthcoming presentation of Hamlet at the camp theatre as a diversion for an audacious escape attempt in broad daylight – but they must ensure the traitor is found and silenced or risk catastrophe.