edwagreen Apparently, Blake Edwards proved that he could do things far beyond the range of the Pink Panther films and he sure hit a home run with this intense 1962 thriller.Just watch the face of Lee Remick, bank teller, who is accosted in her garage by a heavy breathing sadistic, eerie character threatening her that if she doesn't steal $100,000 from her bank for him, she and her teenage sister, Stefanie Powers, will be killed.This is a tense thriller and Ross Martin is absolutely superb as the sinister character.Glenn Ford is smooth as the FBI man who Remick turns to. There is also an excellent supporting performance by an Asian woman, a girlfriend of Martin, who refuses to cooperate with the police and though it is wrong, you can see why she has taken this kind of attitude.

campbell-russell-a I saw this as a child and immediately understood the storyline. That's how simply the story unfolds. However, like most very fine films, it has taken a lifetime to fully grasp the nuances that a film maker like Blake Edwards brought to it. Take, for instance, the seemingly unnecessary episode in which Ripley interviews the Asian woman who Lynch, a chronic asthmatic and an apparently psychotic loner, extortionist and murderer, helps by funding her disabled son's operations through his illegal schemes. As a chronic asthmatic, I now understand what Edwards was getting at. The asthma does alienate you from the world. For some reason it does make you reckless in your own life and sometimes with your treatment of others but sometimes almost overly caring when it comes to helping others - especially those who are also suffering. It is this strange dichotomy that Edwards explores in order to make the seemingly simple more complex. Lynch needed to be liked even if only by himself. He needed to feel good about himself. Perhaps it is the constant discomfort of asthma that finds relief through an act of kindness. He likes Asian women - different, alienated people? He doesn't rape or molest Toby after he makes her take her clothes off - the clothes being visual proof to Kelly that he had kidnapped her sister. This would be beneath his"ethics" and not be in keeping with his overall purpose. As Starling finally says of Lector in "Silence of the Lambs", he won't come after her because "he would consider it rude". I hope this does not sound like "intellectual" rubbish or amateur psychology. The film is great whether you see what I have come to see in it or not.

kaellisjesse-298-910772 I saw this memorable film many years ago and then I saw it at the thrift store! Some people say that Red Lynch died for our sins. I don't know anything about that but he is sufficiently creepy and oily that there might be a widespread backlash against people with asthma. There are some nice creepy scenes in this movie. Red dressed as an old lady sneaks into the ladies room and threatens Lee Remick. The scene with the mannequins, that was heavy.How about a bar where you can shoot mechanical ducks? Sublime. Old Detroit metal that's cool. All the acting is excellent. Money was worth a lot more in them days. In closing, I highly recommend this black and white movie.

kenjha A man accosts a bank worker, threatening to kill her little sister if she doesn't steal for him. From the dramatic opening scene to the exciting finale, this is a terrific thriller that grabs the viewer and doesn't let go. This was Edwards' first thriller and he does an excellent job of building the tension, helped by the dark and moody cinematography. There are solid performances from Remick as the bank worker, Powers as her little sister, Ford as the FBI agent, and Martin as the creepy, asthmatic villain. The location shooting in San Francisco is quite effective, with the finale taking place during a baseball game at Candlestick Park.