- The first act of sabotage committed by Mr. Verlac (Oskar Homolka) is rather underwhelming. He uses sand to knock out some power generators, causing the citizens of London to become momentarily inconvenienced. There is very little panic, and most Londoners seem bemused as vendors start selling matches on the street. As the operators of a movie house, Verlac and his wife Winnie (Sylvia Sydney) are probably more affected than most by the outage when a crowd of unruly patrons demands refunds. "London laughs" read the headlines, and Mr. Verlac's employers are not pleased.
- As Verlac ponders his next assignment, an undercover agent named Ted (John Loder) reports back to Scotland Yard on Verlac's movements. Ted even goes so far as to take Winnie and her young brother Stevie (Desmond Tester) out to a fancy lunch, slyly pressing them for information on the potential saboteur. One evening, a crowd of mysterious foreigners (read: Germans) gathers at Verlac's theatre, but Ted is unable to determine their plans. As Scotland Yard monitors Verlac, he rather desperately sends the unwitting Stevie out to deliver a bomb constructed by the eccentric Professor (William Dewhurst). Verlac's second act of sabotage is much more destructive than the first, but things don't go quite according to plan.
- Alfred Hitchcock's Sabotage is an interesting look at a saboteur who seems to lack any lofty political or social goals. The timid Mr. Verlac resorts to sabotage only as a source of income, although his rather callous behavior after Stevie's death makes him a rather unsympathetic character. That is in fact the most impressive and suspenseful moment in the film, as Verlac starts in with his usual complaint about the cooking while Winnie ponders alternate uses for the butter knife. The other moment of great suspense of course takes place as Stevie transports the bomb. Using a strategy similar to that employed in The Man Who Knew Too Much, Hitchcock makes sure the audience has plenty of time to ponder what is about to happen before the bomb finally goes off. The film's ending is a bit odd, particularly considering that Ted and Winnie discover romance within hours of her husband's and brother's deaths, but the film remains one of Hitchcock's more explosive early successes.
- I don't think Hitchcock cameoed in this one.
- Several movies are shown at the Verlac's theatre, including a Disney cartoon.
- This film was based on a Joseph Conrad novel.
