Film

Contraband

Other titles called Contraband: the 1980 film, the 2012 film.

A 1940 British spy thriller set on the docks during the phoney war, where a Danish ship captain gets tangled up with Nazi agents while trapped in port. It's taut, efficiently told, and rides the nervousness of early wartime—when invasion seemed possible and paranoia had teeth. For anyone who loves vintage espionage cinema.

TMDb rating3.6

Should you watch it?

Watch it if you love tight, shadowy wartime thrillers where neutral men in cramped ports must weigh every word, and suspense comes from conversation and small betrayals more than action.

Skip it if you want a brisk, modern pace or constant set pieces; at 91 minutes it is compact, but much of it is talk, sly glances and waiting in rooms.

What it asks of you: Settle in for a lean, black-and-white hour and a half that tightens gradually, asking you to track who is lying and to stay patient while the tension builds.

Not sure? Find tonight's pick in a minute.

If you liked this

The 39 Steps1935

Hitchcock's prototype for the wronged-man-on-the-run thriller, with the same tense pacing and wit you get from Contraband. An innocent man, relentless pursuit, and genuine ingenuity.

But It's quite theatrical by modern standards, and the resolution hinges on coincidence that stretches belief. The romantic subplot also takes time away from the thriller.

The 39 Steps poster

Foreign Correspondent1940

Released the same year and made in the same wartime moment of anxious uncertainty. Hitchcock again, but broader—a reporter chasing a story through espionage and danger across Europe. Gorgeous cinematography and real stakes.

But Nearly two and a half hours, and some scenes meander. The ending tilts toward propaganda in a way that can feel dated.

Foreign Correspondent poster

The Third Man1949

Post-war Vienna, moral ambiguity, Vienna's shadows and black market intrigue. Greene's story and Reed's direction create a world where everyone could be working for anyone. Mesmerizing and stylish.

But It's slow-burn and atmospheric rather than plot-driven. If you want constant forward momentum, you'll fidget. Also, that zither score divides people sharply.

The Third Man poster

Not sure tonight? Get a pick in a minute, starting from Contraband

The wildcard

Something you would not have found on your own.

Vessel of Wrath1938

Veidt himself, playing a type opposite to his steely authority in Contraband—a chance to see the actor shed his usual suit and show vulnerability.

Conrad Veidt (Contraband's lead) in a wholly different register: a drunk beach bum in the South Seas drawn into a plot involving a missionary. It's the inverse of his villain persona, funny and oddly touching. Shows you Veidt's range.

But It's a quieter character piece with long stretches of aimlessness. If you're expecting spy thrills, you'll be disappointed. The colonial setting also hasn't aged well.

Vessel of Wrath poster
More like this (6)

Hotel Reserve1944

A man trapped in a coastal hotel becomes implicated in a spy scheme during wartime. It has the same geographical claustrophobia as Contraband and a similar slow-burn dread as enemy agents move around you.

But Lesser known for a reason—technically it's a bit rough, and the plotting can feel repetitive once you sense where it's going.

Hotel Reserve poster

Sabotage1936

Hitchcock's bleakest thriller: a woman discovers her husband is a German saboteur, and she has to stop him. Combines espionage paranoia with domestic horror in a way that still feels shocking.

But An act of violence partway through is genuinely upsetting in a way that goes beyond suspense. Some find it harder to watch than it is to enjoy.

Sabotage poster

Notorious1946

Cary Grant and Ingrid Bergman in a Rio de Janeiro spy romance that intertwines love with betrayal and Nazi agents. Hitchcock at his most controlled; every scene builds on the last.

But Runs nearly two and a half hours, and the central romance can feel manipulative if you're not in the mood for emotional ambiguity.

Notorious poster

The Spy in Black1939

A German U-boat captain and a British naval officer meet on a Scottish island in a tale of double-cross and seduction. Understated, clever, and remarkably tense for something so intimate.

But It's very of its moment, with pacing that modern audiences often find slow. The gender politics are also firmly 1939.

The Spy in Black poster

Night Train to Munich1940

Ealing Studios' wartime romp: a British officer infiltrates a Nazi train to spring a Czech scientist. It has lightness and humour without undercutting the danger—a tricky balance executed well.

But The tone wobbles between thriller and comedy, and if you want grit and darkness, the levity will feel out of place. Also quite long.

Night Train to Munich poster

Odd Man Out1947

Both are wartime-era thrillers about a hunted man navigating a hostile city where everyone might be enemy or ally. But where Contraband has the clean structure of a spy plot, Odd Man Out dissolves into existential dread.

A wounded IRA gunman hunted through Belfast, with characters circling him like predators. It's a pursuit thriller like Contraband, but intimate and humanist—about desperation rather than espionage plots. Gorgeous black-and-white cinematography.

But The violence is sudden and brutal in ways that can feel jarring. It's also politically sympathetic to Irish republicanism in a way that some viewers find heavy-handed. Very slow in places.

Odd Man Out poster

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