Experiment in Terror
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Movie Reviews of Experiment in Terror
Movie Review: Two hot women, a G-Man, and a ruthless, asthmatic groper...
Summary: 4 Stars
When I think of Blake Edwards, the first thing that comes to my mind is the slapsticky comedy featured in the Pink Panther film series starring the late, great Peter Sellers, so it was interesting to discover Edwards did films like Breakfast at Tiffany's (1961), Days of Wine and Roses (1962), the Peter Gunn television series, along with this film, titled Experiment in Terror (1962). Adapted for the screen by Gordon & Mildred Gordon (collectively known as The Gordons), based on their novel titled Operation Terror, and directed by Blake Edwards, the film stars Glenn Ford (The Big Heat, The Violent Men, Blackboard Jungle), Lee Remick (Days of Wine and Roses, The Omen), and Ross Martin (Conquest of Space, The Colossus of New York, The Great Race), known to many as Artemus Gordon from the mid 60s television series "The Wild Wild West". Also appearing is Roy Poole (Mandingo), Ned Glass (Charade), Patricia Huston ("Days of Our Lives"), Clifton James (Cool Hand Luke, Will Penny), and a young Stefanie Powers (McLintock!, The Boatniks).
It's nighttime and the city, San Francisco, to be exact, is twinkling. Miss Kelly Sherwood (Remick) arrives at her home in the hills, only to discover out she's not alone in her darkened garage, as a mysterious, heavy breathing man accosts her after she gets out of her parked car. Turns out he knows an awful lot about Kelly and her younger sister Toby (Powers), who live together in the house. So what does he want? Well, besides a good groping in the garage, he wants greenbacks, banknotes, cabbage, loot, legal tender, dinero, beans, filthy lucre, moolah, wampum, scratch, gravy...money, I say, and a whole lot of it...you see, Kelly works for a bank, and so she has access to a whole lot of the stuff, unfortunately none of it hers. The proposition is this, either Kelly get a large sum of money and deliver it to the man, or nasty things will happen to her and her sister, and he ain't foolin' as he seems to have intimate knowledge of Kelly and Toby's comings and goings. The man finally leaves, but not before telling Kelly he'll contact her with further instructions. After he's gone (or is he?), Kelly calls the FBI (right after the man specifically told her not to contact the authorities) and talks to agent John `Rip" Ripley (Ford). The FBI begins their investigation by tapping Kelly's phones, staking out her house, and shadowing her and her sister. Eventually they get a few leads and determine a possible identity of the man and determine this may not be the first time he's tried something like this...identification is one thing, but capture is another, and the man is no dummy, always managing to stay one asthmatic step ahead of the authorities...
Overall I really liked this film, but I did have a few questions after watching it...like why did Kelly contact the FBI after she was attacked in her garage? If it were me, I probably would have phoned the police...if the matter warranted the FBI's involvement, then someone else would make that decision. Can someone tell me the point and/or connection of that Nancy Ashton character to the story? There seemed no other reason for her being in the film other than to serve as an example as to the danger Kelly and her sister are in, the seriousness of intent of the extortionist...to me her presence/connection was never fully explained, and perhaps that was intentional (which I could live with), but the FBI seemed satisfied with their own, supposed conclusion enough so as to not pursue the matter any further. Also, did anyone else buy off on the characters of Remick and Powers being sisters? Or Powers' character being a high school student (she was about 20 at the time)? Maybe I didn't completely buy off on either of these aspects, but I went with it anyway as both Remick and Powers are really hot (what do you want? I'm a guy...). And speaking of Powers' character, was anyone as annoyed as I was at with the ease to which the villain as able to lure her into his car, prior to kidnapping her? All I could think was `What a dope'. One aspect I found kind of funny was how, when the FBI were following Kelly around, they would often radio in, giving their location and such, and usually referred to Kelly as `the victim', like it was a forgone conclusion she wouldn't survive the final outcome, no matter what it was...I guess optimism isn't a part of their standard operating protocols. The film may have some flaws within the story, but these are made up for within other aspects of the production, like direction, music, cinematography, and acting. In terms of performances, Remick carried the film. One particular aspect I especially liked about her character was the fact she wasn't purely a helpless dame in need of rescuing. In one scene, after a failed meeting attempt, Kelly's frustrations towards the mysterious man boil over, and she gives him some sass on the phone. Ford's character was pretty straight up, steady, methodical, and experienced. I was thankful for the fact the story did not choose to pursue the development of a romantic angle between Remick and Ford's characters, but it did spend a good deal of time drawing on the mysterious man's motives for trying to get the money. Perhaps this was an attempt to make him seem more human, but if so, it didn't work for me (did we really need the scenes with the handicapped Asian American boy?), and only dragged the film out longer than it needed to be (the film runs just over two hours). Martin's portrayal of the asthmatic villain was complete, as there was little question to what he was willing to do to get what he wanted (although I was surprised he didn't take advantage of Toby when he had the chance). His smug, creepy, sleazy, sadistic, clever-than-thou smarminess oozed through the screen...and check out his get-up near the end. He looks almost exactly like that picture of the Uni-bomber. Despite my quibbles, this is a really wonderful film, full of tension, featuring a strong cast, beautifully scored by Henry Mancini (think the Peter Gunn theme, but slower, subtler, and slightly spooky), shot in glorious black and white. Had they trimmed a little of the excess off, tightened up some of the loose ends, this would have been a near perfect late entry noir film
The widescreen anamorphic (1.85:1), black and white picture, remastered in high definition, looks very good, and the Dolby Digital 2.0 audio comes though clearly. There's not much in the way of extras, except for a trailer for this film, along with two others for The Big Heat (1953), and The Lady from Shanghai (1947).
Cookieman108
Movie Review: Night And The Forboding City
Summary: 4 Stars
While director Blake Edwards is not predominantly known for his thrillers, this 1962 noirish entry is gripping and frightening - particularly the first hour. Henry Mancini provides an unnerving "mod" score similar to the one he would for Stanley Donen's "Charade" a year later. Shot in black in white, restored to widescreen format on DVD, the San Francisco locations (including the Golden Gate Bridge and Candlestick Park) gives this film a interesting aura.
Lee Remick is a young bank teller named Kelly Sherwood, who lives with her teenage sister, Tobey (Stefanie Powers). One night she is accosted in her own garage by an asthmatic psychopath, "Red" Lynch (Ross Martin, menacingly frightening), who promises to kill her and her sister if she doesn't go along with his scheme to rob her bank. He informs her that he is aware of her every move and is not afraid to resort to violence if she does not go along with his scheme. The shaken young woman contacts FBI agent John Ripley (Glenn Ford) who does all that he can to protect the sisters and explore every angle he can to bring Lynch down. He soon discovers that this sadistic criminal has a penchant for women who can get him loot, and then leaves their battered corpses for all their effort. Nancy Ashton (Patricia Huston) is one such lady who contacts Ripley for help but her fate is already sealed (watch the eerie, voyeuristic sequence in her mannequin filled apartment - shiver).
It begins to drag a bit in the second hour, with the introduction of a Chinese woman, Lisa (Anita Loo) who is an unwitting file cabinet for Lynch - the evil killer is paying for her handicapped son's medical treatment. While this element may not have been needed, Ford's interaction with the boy is utterly touching, as is his concern for Kelly and her younger sibling. When Lynch is able to catch hold of Tobey for leverage, he debates whether to molest her or not (forcing her to undress), but for some reason, cannot go through with it. With Kelly in the crossfire, Ripley and his fellow agents close in on him in a memorable climax in Candlestick Park's baseball stadium.
Unlike the gratuitous violence and nudity often found in films today, "Experiment In Terror" relies on plot development, effective camera angles and concentrated performance in order to bring out fear in the viewer, and for the most part, it does it in spades. Ford's courageous, quiet embodiment, Remick's strong yet gentle performance and Stefanie Power's moving, sweet vulnerability give this taut movie all that it requires. And Ross Martin is the perfect villain - menacing, stalking, cold-blooded, manipulative, and deadly! And by all means, keep the lights on! The DVD features subtitles and two trailers, "The Big Heat" and "The Lady From Shanghai".
Movie Review: Taut noir thriller
Summary: 4 Stars
Veteran character actor Ross Martin stars as wheezy, asthmatic career criminal "Red" Lynch in Blake Edward's tense "Experiment in Terror". Martin breaks into attractive and demure bank teller Kelly Sherwood's house to intimidate her into stealing $100,000 from the bank she works in. Sherwood played by the beautiful and talented Lee Remick is threatened with death as well as similar harm to her kid sister Toby played by a teen aged Stefanie Powers.
Although terrified Remick calls the FBI and gets through to agent John Ripley played by Glenn Ford. The efficient and sympathetic Ford seizes control of the situation and mobilizes his forces to protect both Remick and Powers and thwart Martin's extortion attempt.
Edward's direction provides plenty of tension and the settings shot in black and white in San Francisco add to the drama. Edwards more well known for his screwball comedies, displays his versatility with this spine tingling drama. The climax is particularly spectacular, shot in the midst of a baseball game in Candlestick Park between the Giants and the Dodgers.
Movie Review: Solid Crime Story With Nice Cast
Summary: 4 Stars
Although it's two hours long and there is nothing much resembling today's blood and guts-action-a-minute thrillers, this 1960s crime story still entertains, thanks to an interesting cast.
Sure, they could have chopped off 15 minutes of this to make it a bit tighter but watching Glenn Ford, Lee Remick, Stefanie Powers and Ross Martin isn't all bad, especially Remick, a gorgeous woman with one of the sweetest, softest voices I've ever heard. Powers, 19 when she filmed this, was easy on the eyes, too. Martin is effectively creepy as the asthmatic killer and Ford is good as the no-nonsense FBI man after him. I look at Ford as one of the better and underrated actors of his generation.
The DVD also shows off some nice film noir-type photography to its best. The clothing, cars and hairstyles might be a little out-of-date but the dialog isn't, and it's refreshing to watch a crime film without today's profanity laced through it.
Overall, it''s solid film-making.
Movie Review: I'm so pleased
Summary: 4 Stars
I have always been very satisfied with the service from this company, and to date, I still am. I received my movie in a timely manner, and it was in perfect condition. :)