Decision Before Dawn
1951 · 119 MIN · IMDB 7.2 · 3,118 VOTES · DIR. Anatole Litvak
Overview
WWII is entering its last phase: Germany is in ruins, but does not yield. The US army lacks crucial knowledge about the German units operating on the opposite side of the Rhine, and decides to send two German prisoners to gather information. The scheme is risky: the Gestapo retains a terribly efficient network to identify and capture spies and deserters. Moreover, it is not clear that "Tiger", who does not mind any dirty work as long as the price is right, and war-weary "Happy", who might be easily betrayed by his feelings, are dependable agents. After Tiger and another American agent are successfully infiltrated, Happy is parachuted in Bavaria. His duty: find out the whereabouts of a powerful German armored unit moving towards the western front.
Dialogue Timeline — 1,541 lines
A SAMPLE ACROSS THE RUNTIME — EVERY LINE IS SEARCHABLE
00:01:00 THAT'S IF THE WEATHER HOLDS.
00:06:46 PISTOL. IN THERE, YOU TWO.
00:11:20 RICHARDS, WE'LL WANT TRANSPORTATION FIRST THING IN THE MORNING FOR SARREBOURG.
00:15:58 NO. WHAT IS IT?
00:20:16 YES, SIR. WE'LL LET YOU KNOW.
00:24:43 YOU HAVE BEEN TOLD YOUR CODE NAME IS "HAPPY"? YES.
00:28:52 FREDDY GOT CAUGHT BECAUSE HE WASN'T SMART ENOUGH. HE WAS DUMB, THICK-HEADED--
00:33:04 HOW WOULD YOU FEEL ABOUT SENDING HIM OUT AGAIN? I WOULD SEND HIM, SIR.
00:37:43 THEY'RE STIMULANTS. DON'T TAKE MORE THAN ONE A DAY.
00:42:13 WELL,HASTA LUEGO, MUCHACHOS. I'LL LET YOU KNOW A FEW MINUTES BEFORE WE APPROACH.
00:49:26 HERE. TAKE YOUR CHOICE. WHERE ELSE IN OUR COUNTRY COULD YOU GET A BETTER DEAL?
00:53:59 OH, YES. I HEARD HE WAS TRANSFERRED FROM BERLIN.
00:58:30 THERE'S NO MORE ROOM TONIGHT. EVERYTHING'S TAKEN.
01:02:27 I ONLY CHANGED MY MIND. THAT'S ALL.
01:07:31 COME ON. GET OUT OF HERE.
01:13:57 THAT I CAN'T GO ON LIKE THIS. THAT THERE IS SOME REASON-- ALL RIGHT.
01:18:33 AT EASE. YOUR NAME AND UNIT?
01:22:57 SHALL I TURN THE LAMP OFF? JUST TURN IT DOWN A LITTLE.
01:28:07 TO OUR COUNTRY.
01:34:33 [ Train Whistle Blowing ]
01:40:23 GO AHEAD.
01:44:34 I WANT YOU TO BRIEF US ON EVERY PLACE YOU'VE BEEN, EVERYTHING YOU'VE SEEN.
01:49:41 [ Alarm Bell Ringing In Distance ]
01:56:12 STOP HIM. DON'T LET HIM GET AWAY! [ Explosions Continue ]