Man-Trap *** (1961, Jeffrey Hunter, David Janssen, Stella Stevens) – Classic Movie Review 7,281

The 1961 film noir Man-Trap is based on John D MacDonald’s novel Soft Touch and stars Jeffrey Hunter as a Korean War veteran involved in his old buddy David Janssen’s scheme to steal $3.5 million from a Central American dictator.

‘Too many men… Too many thrills… Soon – Too much violence!’

The 1961 film noir Man-Trap is based on John D MacDonald’s novel Soft Touch and stars Jeffrey Hunter as a Korean War veteran involved in his old buddy David Janssen’s scheme to steal $3,650,000 from a Central American dictator.

Producer/ director Edmond O’Brien makes the most of his rare chance to direct (his second and last after 1954’s Shield for Murder) in 1961’s brisk, capable black and white film noir crime thriller Man-Trap.

It tells a satisfyingly twisty tale of ex-US marine Vince Biskay (David Janssen) persuading his former Korean War buddy Matt Jameson (Jeffrey Hunter) – who saved his life in the war – into heisting a $3,650,000 fortune in cash from illegal weapons from a Central American gang, who have hijacked it.

O’Brien encourages effective performances from the star pair, who are both interestingly cast against type, plus the alluring Stella Stevens as Jameson (Hunter)’s sexy, alcoholic, nymphomaniac wife Nina, whose unhappy going-on are making Jameson interested in his boss’s secretary Liz Addams (Elaine Devry).

Vince is the Soft Touch of the novel title, and Nina is of course the Man-Trap of the film title.

Jameson is working in California as an engineer when Biskay turns up and tells him about a Central American dictator whose $3,650,000 worth of illegal weapons cash is being transported to the US. They could intercept it at San Francisco Airport, turn it in to the authorities and split the reward. Or they could just keep all of it and split it.

Ed Waters and Paul Tabori’s screenplay is based on John D MacDonald’s novel Soft Touch, which had previously been serialised in Cosmopolitan magazine in March 1958 as Taint of the Tiger.

Hunter recalled: ‘Our script was not the finest by any means.’ And he is right, there are script problems, mostly with some of the dialogue and some of the characterisation. But not with the story, which is strong and solid. The best parts of the movie are all those with Hunter and Janssen. Hunter has to carry all the film, which is tricky, and mostly he is fine, but he is out-acted by Janssen in an admittedly showier and much more entertaining role. Stella Stevens gives it her entertaining all as Nina, maybe a bit too much, a beyond infuriating character, who clearly doesn’t deserve to last the whole movie. Little known Elaine Devry has a lot to do and is good as the sad Liz, besotted with Matt but knows she’s on a losing wicket as he keeps going back for more abuse from Nina. Virginia Gregg also has a lot to do as the God fearing housekeeper Ruth, and fits the bill perfectly.

Unfortunately, the gang of Central American thugs come across as comedic instead of lethally threatening, and their armed car chase to stop Matt and Vince making off with the money is mishandled. and so is the scene where they find Matt and torture him to find out where the money is. The case snatch at the airport is better handled, though, with Hitchcock-style chaos and confusion caused by the simultaneous arrival of a celebrity.

The exterior filming in black and white widescreen is exciting, with excellent cinematography by Loyal Griggs, particularly the San Francisco views, with some intriguing tracking and odd angle shots trying to enliven the interiors. But things are not nearly as exciting with the studio sets, for both interiors and exteriors, and ugly back projections, which look desperately fake and cardboard.

There is a sparky gun battle at the San Francisco airport as the dictator’s thugs trying to protect the money, but the film slows down after that instead of pacing up, and ends rather unsatisfactorily, just petering out somehow with an ironic conclusion that is fairly dull, predictable, conventional and not properly resolved. It needed to go out with a big bang and this is more of a whimper.

Still, there are enough interesting and unusual elements here to make it a worthwhile noir, certainly the story and the performances.

Ed Waters later wrote the screenplay for Darker Than Amber (1970), based on another John D MacDonald novel, the only Travis McGee novel adapted for the big screen.

Also in the cast are Hugh Sanders, Elaine Devry, Arthur Batanides, Perry Lopez, Bernard Fein, Virginia Gregg, Michael Vandever, Tol Avery, Frank Albertson, Bob Crane, Dorothy Green and Chuck Morrell.

Hunter recalled: ‘It was the first time I had worked with an actor-director. O’Brien interprets each character himself; and at times this can be very, very helpful, and at other times it can be terribly frustrating, only because the actor likes to feel that he is an individual and not a parrot. But O’Brien was a good sport, he accepts suggestions.’

It is made by Tiger Productions and was released by Paramount Pictures on September 20, 1961 (US).

Running time: 93 minutes.

There was a scrap over the title. Originally it was Hell Is for Heroes, but Steve McQueen demanded that his 1962 film was called that. O’Brien was furious when studio executive Martin Rackin agreed. Still, Man-Trap is not bad. Could they have called it Soft Touch, or was that a soft option?

Stella Stevens pointed out that her character Nina was the opposite to her. In real life, she was an introverted, bookish sort of person who wanted to learn to become a good writer and there she was in Man-Trap playing an alcoholic nymphomaniac. ‘Some of the most fun parts I’ve played have been nymphomaniacs.’ she recalled. ‘It was very risqué at the time.’

The cast

The cast are Jeffrey Hunter as Matt Jameson, David Janssen as Vince Biskay, Stella Stevens as Nina Jameson, Elaine Devry as Liz Addams, Virginia Gregg as Ruth, Dorothy Green as Vera Snavely, Hugh Sanders as E J Malden, Frank Albertson as Paul Snavely, Arthur Batanides as Cortez, Perry Lopez as Puerco Bernard Fein as Fat Man, Tol Avery as Lieutenant Heisen, Bob Crane as Ralph Turner, Michael Vandever, Dorothy Green and Chuck Morrell.

© Derek Winnert 2018 Classic Movie Review 7,281

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