Rope of Sand

Paul Henreid is best known as the anti-Nazi resistance leader in Casablanca, but he actually gave a better performance as an ex-Nazi sadist in William Dieterle’s 1949 Rope of Sand. Henreid plays Commandant Paul Vogel, the violent and corrupt head of the police force for a ruthless African diamond syndicate. Vogel has an old score to settle with game hunter Mike Davis (Burt Lancaster, adequate), but neither man realizes they’re being played like puppets by syndicate CEO Claude Rains. Rope of Sand is a true curiosity, a mix of feathery adventure and severe noir that borrows liberally from Casablanca (Rains and Peter Lorre play almost identical characters), but lacks that classic’s compelling leads, strong story and snappy dialogue. At its best, Rope of Sand plays like the illegitimate father of The Wages of Fear, but too often feels like great pieces in search of a script.