There are so many crazy things about this film, I just can't count them all! But the most insane of all is the ending with the poor wife (Teresa Wright), welcoming Joseph Cotton home with smiles,hugs and kissies!! A real noir ending would be that he returns the money, comes home to find a note that wife and daughter have left him as they can't trust him anymore (telling all the lies, stealing the money, breaking into the consulate office, need I go on?). That would be a more fitting ending, even if he did return the money, he is still a cheat and liar and was willing to go through with his idiotic plan about staying in Brazil for the rest of his life. But I guess in 1952 the producers wanted a happy ending since he did return all the money. Sorry I feel it's still one of the worst films ever.
Review of The Steel Trap
