5/5 Sabotage
  by Leo Catalano (San Francisco,, CA United States)
I am an early Hitchcock film lover. His early British films show the Hitchcock touch starting to emerge. What I especially love about this series is the excellent remastering that was done with them. The old copy of "Sabotage" that I have is dark and not clear. This series has made an excellent effort at "cleaning up the picture", improving the sound, and making the movie much more enjoyable. Thank you for preserving these old Hitchcock treasures. Please keep it going!
Leo Catalano

3/5 Hitchcock fans wont want to miss this -
  by D. Steigman (USA)
I will say that while this isnt a great film, it is a solid very good movie with some suspense. If you like Secret Agent or The 39 Steps you might like this as well (not as much as the 39 Steps, but you might like it anyway)
It is about terrorist activities - a women who suddenly realizes she is married to a terrorist. Her husband indeed is and there is a very shocking scene in this about the death of a boy on a bus - their son. A bomb didn't make it to its destination in time. It might not be Hitchcock's best work, but it is far from his worst.

4/5 3 stars out of 4
  by One-Line Film Reviews (Easton, MD)
The Bottom Line:

Though it lacks the narrative thrust and humor that characterize Hitchcock's later work, Sabotage is a suspenseful and brief thriller that hints at what the master had cooking for us in later decades; recommended mainly to fans of Hitch, it's a good but not great film.

5/5 "But she said it before. Or was it after? I can't recall."
  by Bobby Underwood (Bakersfield, California United States)
This moody thriller from Hitchcock's British period blends a somber and tense storyline with a budding romance borne from circumstance; something that would become a staple of his American films. While it may be just a tick below "39 Steps," "The Lady Vanishes," and "Young and Innocent" from the same period, it isn't far behind.

One of the reasons it reaches the level it does is the lovely Sylvia Sidney. She is simply fantastic as a girl in a dangerous and somber situation whose smile ignites the screen every single time it happens. She is married to Oscar Homolka who seems harmless enough but in fact is a saboteur.

British police are hot on his trail and as Ted (John Loder) tries to discern whether Sidney is involved or just an innocent bystander, he falls in love with the sweet girl who takes movie tickets and cares for her little brother Stevie.

The audience falls for Sidney too in this film based on Joseph Conrad's Secret Agent. The photography of Bernard Knowles adds atmosphere and tension to some truly exciting moments in Charles Bennet's screenplay. The film starts slowly but gradually draws the viewer in because they care about Sidney.

When the sabotage escalates to a bomb intended for Picadilly, Sylvia's husband uses young Stevie to deliver it. But he is delayed and the viewer is on the edge of their seat watching the clock tick down while Stevie rides the double-decker, the outcome very much in doubt. Sylvia's fate will be in doubt also as an impulsive act will have Ted trying to shield her from the consequences because he loves her.

This film has been in need of a quality release for a number of years, and is finally getting one. A commentary with Hitchcock author Leonard Leff, a Peter Bogdanovich interview with Hitch, a restoration comparison and still gallery are included on this long awaited release. According to the studio, it will also be close captioned, and have French and Spanish subtitles for those who need such. A great ending makes up for the slow start in a film carried by Sidney's bee-stung lips and smile like sunshine. Hitchcock fans don't want to dismiss this one from his British period. You'll become a fan of Sidney's after watching this one.

2/5 A Story About Terrorism
  by Acute Observer (North Jersey Shore)
The film begins in London at night. Suddenly the lights go out due to a power failure. Could a simple substance like silicon dioxide sabotage a big city? A blackout in peacetime? Will the patrons of the cinema get their money back? Mr. Verloc seems unconcerned. He is the owner operator of this business, not a big corporation. Is the grocer next door an undercover agent? Do terrorists stir up trouble at home so people ignore foreign news? Verloc meets his controller who asks him to leave a "parcel" at Piccadilly Circus to terrorize the population. Ted befriends Mrs. Verloc and her son at a restaurant. Verloc is under surveillance, they know who he meets and where he goes. The talk in the movie is meant to be ironic.

Ted notices friends of Verloc going into the cinema. [What a great place for surreptitious meetings.] Ted is known to one of the conspirators, the operation is cancelled. [Undercover operatives should never be part of official operations.] Ted returns to question Mrs. Verloc. Verloc sees this and decides to use her son to carry the "parcel" along with some movie reels to appear as a normal task. Stevie walks through London crowds on his destination. A parade through the streets delays him while time marches on. [There are always the unexpected in any plan.] The suspense comes from knowing the people in the film are oblivious to the danger that is around them.

Verloc blames others for his actions. A cartoon serves as an echo on the events. A mistake leads to rough justice, Verloc will not talk about his conspiracy. Ted and Mrs. Verloc have bonded. The police arrive to arrest the bomb maker and Verloc. No survivors. The film tries to create a happy ending; it doesn't work. This story about terrorists with bombs is not obsolete today. This film is adapted from Joseph Conrad's "The Secret Agent". Was the novel better? Plots by anarchists were a danger at the end of the 19th century. Was there a similar threat in the 1930s?
Hitchcock's later films were better. This is a poor copy of the original film.