Before Robert Duvall established himself as a major film star, he could be seen on a number of TV shows. He was uniformly excellent in all of them and this episode of Combat! is one of his best as it allows Duvall to use his stillness and minimal movement to advantage. My brothers and I didn't particularly like Handley based episodes because Sgt Saunders was our favourite but, as an adult, I have come to appreciate Jason's quiet and determined Handley. The episode is basically a battle of wits with move and counter move as the German explosives expert who "volunteers" to defuse his booby traps he has set in a deserted French town and, in the process, attempts to escape Handley. Each device is of interest as the German gives his captor a lesson in the psychological awareness behind laying each trap. We, the audience are, like Handley, schooled in the process but also wary of how we might tricked into making a false move. Of course, we are also left in suspense as to the denouement. An excellent episode in a show that has not lost its punch.
Review of The Enemy
