Man-Trap (1961)

MAN-TRAP – 1961This late cycle noir is the only film directed by actor, Edmond O'Brien. It is an economically filmed throwback to the hey days of film noir. Good guys, bad guys, the sap, and of course the femme fatale. David Janssen and Jeffery Hunter are Marines on a behind the lines patrol during the Korean War. Hunter rescues a wounded Janssen from a Red ambush, and drags him back to safety. Hunter also gets wounded during the action. Janssen promises to pay Hunter back with a boatload of cash someday. Flash forward 9 years, and we have Hunter as junior member of a construction outfit. He is not happy at all with his life. The company is owned by his father-in-law, Hugh Sanders, and Hunter is married to his daughter, Stella Stevens. Stevens has turned out to be a witch, who is making Hunter's life a misery. All she is interested in is, booze and partying. Hunter is sure that Stevens has a few outside interests as well. Hunter has himself been stepping out with the company book keeper, Elaine Devry.Out of the blue now, appears Marine buddy, David Janssen. Janssen seems to have a fist full of cash and wants Hunter to join him in a deal. They hit the bars and Janssen fills him in on a scheme. Janssen claims to work for a South American type, who is coming to the States to buy 3.5 million in weapons for his government. Janssen has a plan to lift one million off the top for themselves. Janssen always said he would pay back Hunter for saving his life in Korea.Hunter is not at all happy with this idea. But it would allow him a fresh start away for his shrew of a wife, and her overbearing father. He needs time to think about the matter. It does not take long as Miss Stevens says she has had enough of Hunter and tells him they are through. Hunter decides to join Janssen on the "perfect" job as Janssen describes it. What Hunter does not know is that there are agents of the South American government keeping tabs on Mr. Janssen. They figure he is planning a job and they are here to retrieve the cash for their own purposes. Needless to say the job goes sideways when they grab the suitcase of cash at the airport. Shots are exchanged with Janssen catching one in the shoulder. There is then a top flight chase into downtown San Fran with Hunter and Janssen just barely escaping. Janssen is put up at Hunter's house to recover from his wound. The money is stashed, so all they need to do is wait for the heat to cool off.Instead, the heat rises, as Stella Stevens puts the moves on Janssen, who is not the least inclined to resist. This leads to problems between Hunter, Stevens, Janssen and the maid, Virginia Gregg. Hunter moves Janssen out to another hideaway to finish recovering. Miss Stevens, in a drunken rage, trips and goes for a tumble over the upstairs railing. Of course she snaps her neck. The maid, Gregg, sees the incident and leaves. She does not know whether to report the death or just be quiet. Hunter returns home and finds the wife in a heap on the floor. He is also at a loss as to what to do. He had threatened to kill her in front of party guests a few days before. Would the Police believe him if he told them he had nothing to do with Steven's death?Hunter plants Stevens under the foundations of a house where they will be pouring concrete the next day. He then takes all the cash to Janssen and tells him to blow to Mexico. He gives Janssen Stevens' sports car and tells him he never wants to see him again. He hopes that the Police will think Stevens has ran off. Needless to say this idea falls to pieces as the maid, Gregg, decides to come forward. "Where is the body?" ask the Detectives of Hunter. Matters go no better for Janssen south of the border. A much better film, than I am making it sound like. Stella Stevens is excellent as the hip swinging femme fatale. Hunter is also quite good as he slowly unravels under all the pressure. The end bit with Janssen gets his comeuppance is top flight. Well worth a look.

I watched this film for the second time yesterday. In LBX, this time, and not in f...pan and scan. Well, it begins like a film noir, an authentic one, with a beautiful jazzy score, as we saw so much in the early sixties, and curiously ends like a pure drama. Of course, it's not a masterpiece, far from that, but the overall film is rather an atmospheric noir from this very period. In some points, it looks like Burt Kennedy's MONEY TRAP, starring Glenn Ford and Ricardo Montalban, adapted from a Lionel White. MAN-TRAP is from a John Mac Donald's one. I confound both of these two films. I guess that was probably one of the last movies David Janssen made for the big screen, before GREEN BERETS, and his twenty years life for TV industry.

The main reason I watched this film is that is was co-produced and directed by Edmond O'Brien--one of my favorite film noir actors. Also, while I can't prove it, I think he dubbed the voice of the photographer late in the film. Unfortunately, while this is a noir film, it's not nearly as good as any in which O'Brien himself appeared.As far as the film goes, it's a very strange melange of several plots--and I think one or two would have made a good film--but not ALL of them. First, Jeffery Hunter is married to Stella Stevens. She is a NASTY person--a drunk and quite histrionic. She will say and do anything to gain attention and often claims that Hunter is an abusive husband--even though he clearly is the abused spouse. In fact, he's been pretty much emasculated by this horrid woman. This is an interesting plot. Second, after putting up with all this abuse, Hunter finds a girlfriend and they talk about his getting a divorce. In the meantime, Stevens accidentally dies and since she's always claiming he abuses her, he panics and buries her! Third, when the film begins you see Hunter save a buddy (David Janssen) during the Korean War. Years later, Janssen approaches Hunter with a scheme to get rich robbing some evil South American strong-man. Janssen is shot in the process and later, when being nursed back to health in Hunter's home, Janssen is caught making out with Stevens!! Later, Janssen runs away to Mexico while the South American dictator's men catch up with Hunter and deliver a beating. Inexplicably, one of the toughs INSTANTLY diagnoses Hunter as now having amnesia from an injury in the war AND they just triggered it with the beating!! And, further beatings wouldn't help...so they leave him...alive!!! There's even more to the film than this (including a wife-swapping club attended by the neighbors--one of whom is, ironically, Bob Crane) but none of it works. It's like many different plot threads that are just haphazardly tossed together. None of it makes a lot of sense and the film just came off as second or third-rate.

Found this on Netflix streaming. Jeffrey Hunter saves David Janssen's life in Korea. Fast forward a few years and Hunter lives in LA with his wife-from-hell Stella Stevens. She's a foul,loud,emasculating,drunken,cheating tramp. Hunter is nice kind, decent chap who works for Stella's home construction big shot. She nags. She's discontent and he's brow beaten. One day Janssen shows up, Stella drapes herself over him while Hunter watches embarrassingly...she's an unfaithful tramp. Janssen has a plan to nab $2.5 million in cash from a Latin American dictator coming in thru diplomatic channels at San Francisco Airport. Hunter is appalled and aghast at such a preposterous scheme. It's unthinkable. He goes along. They go to S.F and rehearse the heist but, naturally, things go slightly awry..they get the $$ but Janssen gets shot. They hide the dough altho the Dictator's henchmen are now hot on his trail. Jenssen recuperates at Hunter's house whilst Stella seduces him in his sick bed. Hunter catches them, she scratches Hunters face with her claws, he splits, drama ensues, their maid, who adores Hunter, tells Stella she is quitting. Stella's typically drunk and while brow beating the maid from the upstairs hall railing she leaves over too far and...kerplunk..swan dives to her death on the hardwood floor below. Scene ends. Jeffrey comes home, incriminating slash marks on his face, he buries her body at a home construction site that is soon cemented over. More drama. Hunter convinces Jenssen to split to Mexico with Stella's car so everyone will think they split they country together. Its getting near the end and it's very good one indeed. Janssen has $2.5 million in a suitcase in Stella's car but not enough pocket money for 20 peso's worth of beer at a roadside Mexican cantina. Irony. More Irony as Hunter goes blank and comes clean to the cops. This was a pleasant surprise to me as the plot twisted and turned, was very clever and moved along briskly. Stella Stevens nail her part in aces and everyone else is very good. Jenssen his usual vague, intense self. It deserves more credit than it's been given. Economically directed by Edmond O'Brien, the star.