Directed by Hubert Cornfield (Sudden Danger, Plunder Road, The 3rd Voice) and Richard Boone. Written by Hubert Cornfield, Robert Phippeny and based on the novel by Lionel White
Cinematography by Willy Kurant (China Moon, Je t'aime moi non plus). Music was by Stanley Myers.
The film stars Marlon Brando as Bud, the Chauffeur, Richard Boone as Leer, Rita Moreno as Vi, the Blonde Air Stewardess, Pamela Franklin as Girl, Jess Hahn as Walley (Friendly), Gerard Buhr as Cop-Fisherman, Jacques Marin as the Bartender, Huques Wanner as Father, and Al Lettieri as Pilot.
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| Marlon Brando as Bud |
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| Richard Bonne as Leer |
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| Rita Moreno as Vi |
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| Pamela Tiffin as Girl |
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| Jess Hahn as Walley |
Other than the opening air travel / arrival sequence, and the ransom money delivery in Paris, most of the film takes place in a remote house along the cold, foggy, windswept Brittany coast beach and the nearby town of Le Touquet, Pas-de-Calais, France. It harks back visually to Woman On The Beach and a Fritz Lang film that I won't mention. The story is simple.
Walley, Vi's slightly idiot savant-ish brother, thought the whole thing up when he found out that a millionaires daughter was a regular first class passenger of Vi's London-Paris flights. Cokehead Vi thinks its a great idea to make them rich. She gets her ex boyfriend Bud into it and then convinces an American hood (she probably finds through her drug contacts) to be the muscle / ransom pick-up man. What could go wrong?
When the millionaires daughter arrives at Orly, She is meet by Bud dressed as a chauffer. He escorts her to a Rolls Royce. What isn't made clear is whether or not Vi, slipped something into her drink or made an extra strong drink, so the girl would let down her guard somewhat.
On the way out of Orly, the Rolls stops behind a station wagon at a traffic interchange. Leer hops out of the wagon and into the Rolls. Later down the road the two cars stops, Leer drags the girl into the station wagon. Bud takes off to ditch the Rolls.
They bring girl to the beach house they've arraigned and put their plan in motion.
It all starts going Noirsville almost immediately, when the beach around the house just happens to be a favorite surfcasting location for the local cop, and he accidently meets Vi and discovers that someone's rented the house. Vi is a coke head. More complications arise from Leer being a sadistic weirdo, Vi getting overdosed on blow (cocaine), and Bud feeling sorry for the "girl." Walley is useless.
Noirsville
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Hubert Cornfield made a beautiful looking film that's worth a watch from Noir fans. Supposedly Brando and Corfield had issues and Richard Boone had to film his scenes. For me a 6.5-7/10.
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