"Journey into Fear" is one of those 'what if' films...in this case, one wonders, "What if Orson Welles had not been taken off this film by the studio? Would he have been able to make it another masterpiece on a par with "Citizen Kane" or "Magnificent Ambersons" (despite its studio-tacked on ending)? The opening shot of "Journey into Fear" is riveting, pure Welles, and promises of great things to come...but they never do, until perhaps the final ten minutes of the motion picture. Great tracking shot in the opening, fine premise set up with the film's first (and principal) villain, then the scene cuts to Joseph Cotten, Edward Sloan, and Ruth Warrick, and suddenly it is like the driest stage play one can imagine. What happened? Joseph Cotten has played many memorable roles, but he was not know as a writer, and the screenplay of "Journey into Fear" is paper-thin. Welles' performance is somewhat interesting, and his camera-work in the opening, closing, and a few fleeting moments in between are brilliant, but it is not enough to carry this film. For completists only.