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The Baited Trap (1959)
"The Trap" (original title)

6.5
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Ratings: 6.5/10 from 165 users  
Reviews: 6 user | 6 critic

Lawyer Ralph Anderson arrives in Tula, an amazingly remote town in the desert, as reluctant emissary of mob chief Victor Massonetti, who wants the airstrip clear for his unofficial exit ... See full summary »

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Title: The Baited Trap (1959)

The Baited Trap (1959) on IMDb 6.5/10

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2 nominations. See more awards »

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Cast

Complete credited cast:
...
Ralph Anderson
...
Victor Massonetti
...
Linda Anderson
...
Tippy Anderson
Carl Benton Reid ...
Sheriff Lloyd Anderson
...
Davis
Peter Baldwin ...
Mellon
Chuck Wassil ...
First Fake Policeman
Richard Shannon ...
Len Karger
Carl Milletaire ...
Eddie
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Storyline

Lawyer Ralph Anderson arrives in Tula, an amazingly remote town in the desert, as reluctant emissary of mob chief Victor Massonetti, who wants the airstrip clear for his unofficial exit from the country. Ralph's arrival has a profound effect on his estranged father, the sheriff; his brother Tip, an alcoholic deputy; and his ex-sweetheart Linda, now married to Tip. Tension builds as a small army of gangsters takes over the town. Then the situation abruptly changes... Written by Rod Crawford <puffinus@u.washington.edu>

Plot Summary | Add Synopsis

Plot Keywords:

gangster | neo noir

Genres:

Crime | Drama

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Details

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Release Date:

7 August 1959 (Finland)  »

Also Known As:

Die Falle von Tula  »

Company Credits

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Technical Specs

Runtime:

Sound Mix:

(Westrex Recording System)

Color:

(Technicolor)

Aspect Ratio:

1.37 : 1
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Trivia

In addition to this film, Richard Widmark and Earl Holliman also played siblings in the 1954 western "Broken Lance". See more »

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User Reviews

 
Hybrid crime drama is parched of any individuality
28 June 2002 | by (Western New York) – See all my reviews

The Trap grafts a dysfunctional-family drama onto a glorified road-chase movie; it also grafts the shoot-from-the-hip conventions and sun-parched look of the Western onto a late-fifties crime drama. These various components, all vying for our attention, give birth to a hybrid that lacks any individuality.

Prodigal son Richard Widmark turns up in his hometown of Tula, out in the California desert, after a decade's absence. The old homestead, seething with tensions, houses his father (Carl Benton Reid), the town sheriff; his drunken wastrel of a brother (Earl Holliman); and the brother's wife (Tina Louise), an old flame of Widmark's. It seems that Widmark works for the mob as a mouthpiece, come home to persuade his law-and-order dad to call off the police guarding an airfield where crime kingpin Lee J. Cobb will make a break for Mexico. In the ensuing chaos, after his dad gets killed, Widmark decides to bring Cobb to justice himself. Unfortunately, he needs the help of his resentful brother, who in turn needs the cash Cobb offers him....

The trek through the desert to the nearest big town proves a fiendish obstacle course: What with snipers and double-dealings and radiators gone dry, it's just one damn thing after another. The relentless heat and blazing sun suck out much of the movie's juices, too; watching it becomes an endurance contest like being stranded in the desert. Widmark and Cobb walk through their roles with expected professionalism, but do nothing unexpected, either. Holliman telegraphs his vacillating weakness loud and clear, while Tina Louise doesn't bring much to the party (but then again, director Norman Panama didn't ask her to bring much). Once it's over, The Trap just sort of dries up and blows away.


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