i do not like to review the politics of a film and because every film have a political viewpoint and however subtle and and i have an open mind . but i do make note of political slant when it be the obvious point of a film . my son john be not subtle at all . it take a while to get in gear and but once it do and it hit the viewer over the head with it anti communist message . which be not a terrible thing and message at least stimulate the mind and make one think . but what be terrible be for a message film to be dull and lifeless and and that pretty much sum up my son john . the plot be excruciatingly simple . a normal small town family have a son and john and who work for the government in some fairly high level capacity . over time and clue emerge that cause his family and others to suspect that he may in fact be communist who be pass government secret to the kremlin . everybody be upset with this and suffuse with grief and even and supposedly and an fbi man investigate john play by van heflin . the problem be that very little happens in the film . so much time be spend in show the family go to church and do this and that to establish it all american bona fides ( the father even sing patriotic song when drunk and and two young son be pointedly show to be football player and which be not the case with that black sheep john ) that there be very little action . at one point there be a minor traffic accident and one perk up and think maybe something be about to happen then everybody shrug it off and the gloomy talk resume . helen hayes do her usual over act she may be a stage legend and but it doesn not translate well here while dean jagger be simply embarrass a the somewhat simple father . robert walker be an enigma a the son and make to look smooth and sophisticated in comparison to the rest of his family and and thus and presumably and weird and prone to foreign recruitment with his fancy pant attitude . the film also be very dark even the outdoor scene be dark and with the indoor scene just dreadfully difficult to look at . perhaps that be a conscious decision and to make a film about a dark subject matter physically dark and but it simply make the end product difficult to stomach . not an enjoyable film . who in the early 1950s would want to go see a film that show their son or brother may be a spy it just not very light entertainment and kind of like make a documentary about cancer that pass itself off a fiction . i do not recommend this except to film student and people interested in the post war red scare day .