''The Money Trap'' is a 1965 American

crime In ordinary language, a crime is an unlawful act punishable by a state or other authority. The term ''crime'' does not, in modern criminal law, have any simple and universally accepted definition,Farmer, Lindsay: "Crime, definitions of", in Ca ...

drama film In film and television, drama is a category or genre of narrative fiction (or semi-fiction) intended to be more serious than humorous in tone. Drama of this kind is usually qualified with additional terms that specify its particular super ...

directed by

Burt Kennedy Burton Raphael Kennedy (September 3, 1922 – February 15, 2001) was an American screenwriter and director known mainly for directing Westerns. Budd Boetticher called him "the best Western writer ever." Biography Kennedy was born in 1922 i ...

, written by

Walter Bernstein Walter Bernstein (August 20, 1919 – January 23, 2021) was an American screenwriter and film producer who was blacklisted by the Hollywood movie studios in the 1950s because of his views on communism. Some of his notable works included ''The ...

based on the novel of the same name by

Lionel White Lionel White (9 July 1905 – 26 December 1985) was an American journalist and crime novelist, several of whose dark, noirish stories were made into films. His books include ''The Snatchers'' (made into a film as ''The Night of the Follow ...

, and starring

Glenn Ford Gwyllyn Samuel Newton "Glenn" Ford (May 1, 1916 – August 30, 2006) was a Canadian-American actor who often portrayed ordinary men in unusual circumstances. Ford was most prominent during Hollywood's Golden Age as one of the biggest box-offi ...

, Elke Sommer, and

Rita Hayworth Rita Hayworth (born Margarita Carmen Cansino; October 17, 1918May 14, 1987) was an American actress, dancer and producer. She achieved fame during the 1940s as one of the era's top stars, appearing in 61 films over 37 years. The press coined th ...

. The supporting cast features

Ricardo Montalbán Ricardo Gonzalo Pedro Montalbán y Merino, KSG (; ; November 25, 1920 – January 14, 2009) was a Mexican and American film and television actor. Montalbán's career spanned seven decades, during which he became known for performances in a var ...

Joseph Cotten Joseph Cheshire Cotten Jr. (May 15, 1905 – February 6, 1994) was an American film, stage, radio and television actor. Cotten achieved prominence on Broadway, starring in the original stage productions of '' The Philadelphia Story'' and '' Sab ...

, and

James Mitchum James Mitchum (born May 8, 1941) is an American actor. Mitchum was born in Los Angeles, California, the elder son of actor Robert Mitchum (whom he closely resembles) and his wife, Dorothy Spence. His brother is actor Christopher Mitchum, and he i ...

Plot

Joe Baron (

) is an under-appreciated, under paid cop who lives a life of luxury because of his very wealthy, beautiful, and much younger wife, Lisa Baron ( Elke Sommer), and the stock that her father left behind. Unfortunately for the happy couple, when their stock dividends stop coming in, Joe finds himself in some serious need of cash. To further heighten Joe's concerns, Lisa intimates she is unwilling to lower her standard of living. Joe and his partner Pete Delanos (

) are ordered to investigate a rich and well connected

doctor Doctor or The Doctor may refer to: Personal titles * Doctor (title), the holder of an accredited academic degree * A medical practitioner, including: ** Physician ** Surgeon ** Dentist ** Veterinary physician ** Optometrist *Other roles ** ...

, Horace Van Tilden (

) who shot an intruder, Phil Kenny, in his home. At the crime scene, they find an open wall safe and the intruder laying on the floor but still breathing. Joe rides in the ambulance where Kenny says he was after two bags of cash with $500,000. He gives Joe the safe combination, and then dies. Joe keeps this to himself and continues his investigation. Joe visits Phil Kenny's Wife, Rosalie Kenny (

), a waitress in a bar who is a former girl friend. That night Lisa and Joe argue. Joe storms out and goes to Rosalie and they make love. Rosalie tells Joe that Van Tilden deals drugs and that Kenny was an addict. She validates Kenny's claim that he was after $500,000. Joe gives Rosalie some money and tells her to leave town. He returns home and Lisa apologizes for the night before. Later, Pete tells Joe that he "wants in". Joe reluctantly agrees and shares his plan to steal Van Tilden's cash. To their surprise, Van Tilden wants to see them. Van Tilden explains he wants to give Rosalie money but Joe feigns ignorance as to where she lives. Van Tilden mentions he will be in Acapulco for the week, leaving that day. Joe is very suspicious but decides to move forward with the heist. Later, Joe and Pete are sent to a crime scene where they find Rosalie sprawled on the ground. A police officer says she was pushed from a rooftop. The next day, Pete checks to make sure Van Tilden has left for Acapulco. That night, Joe and Pete enter Van Tilden's house where they encounter and knock unconscious Van Tilden's henchman Matthews. They blow open the safe but while grabbing the bags of loot, Van Tilden and Matthews surprise them and Pete is shot. Joe incapacitates Van Tilden and Matthews and helps Pete to the car. Joe drives Pete to his house where he tells Lisa what happened. They discover one bag contains heroin. Pete's wound is life-threatening and Joe offers Van Tilden the drugs in exchange for medical care for Pete. Van Tilden arrives at Joe's house alone per Joe's demand. Unbeknownst to Joe, Mattews has followed Van Tilden. During his treatment, Pete accuses Joe of selling him out. He grabs the money to leave, but succumbs to his wound. As Joe's part of the bargain, he must deliver the drugs to the Van Tilden. He and Van Tilden leave in Van Tilden's car followed by Matthews. They arrive at a closed drugstore and Joe tells Van Tilden to wait in the car while he retrieves the bag of heroin. Joe knocks on the door, an elderly men opens the door, and Joe asks for the bag he left earlier. It is clear the drugstore is in Joe's old neighborhood and the drugstore owner has known Joe since he was young. As the drugstore owner is about to hand Joe the bag, Matthews and Van Tilden enter with drawn guns. Van Tilden orders Matthews to kill Joe and the drugstore owner as he leaves with the heroin. Joe shoots and kills Matthews. Outside, Joe sees Van Tilden driving off and fires several shots, hitting Van Tilden and causing his car to crash. As Van Tilden stumbles from the car, he and Joe shoot each other. Joe grabs his stomach and fires one final round into the prone Van Tilden. When Joe arrives home, Lisa attempts to call an ambulance, Joe orders her to call the police instead. He illuminates his rear yard, spacious swimming pool, and well maintained patio. As sirens are heard in the background, Joe leans against the wall and awaits his fate in the arms of his wife.

Cast

as Joe Baron * Elke Sommer as Lisa *

as Rosalie *

as Pete Delanos *

as Dr. Van Tilden *

as Detective Wolski * Tom Reese as Matthews *

Fred Essler Fred Essler (born Fritz Essler; 13 February 1895 – 17 January 1973) was an American actor. He worked film, television and on stage. He was born Fritz Essler, on 13 February 1895 in Vienna, Austria-Hungary, (now Austria); and, died on, 17 Janu ...

as Mr.Klein * Eugene Iglesias as Father * Teri Lynn Sandoval as Daughter * William Campbell as Jack Archer (uncredited) *

Argentina Brunetti Argentina Brunetti (born Argentina Ferraù; August 31, 1907 – December 20, 2005) was an Argentinian stage and film actress and writer. Biography Brunetti was born Argentina Ferraù in Buenos Aires, Argentina to Italian parents; her moth ...

as Aunt

References

External links

* {{DEFAULTSORT:Money Trap, The 1965 films 1965 crime drama films American crime drama films Films directed by Burt Kennedy Films with screenplays by Walter Bernstein American police detective films Films based on American novels Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer films American neo-noir films 1960s English-language films 1960s American films

Plot

Cast

See also

References

External links