The Trap

1959 1h 24m EN

👍

6.9

SOLID

★6.9TMDB · 18

CrimeThriller

Synopsis

Spoiler shield

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...

“Some stories are better left unspoiled.”

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Cast

Richard Widmark
Ralph Anderson
Lee J. Cobb
Victor Massonetti
Tina Louise
Linda Anderson
Earl Holliman
Tippy Anderson
Carl Benton Reid
Sheriff Lloyd Anderson
Lorne Greene
Davis
Peter Baldwin
Mellon
Chuck Wassil
First Fake Policeman

Credits

Behind the camera

Director: Norman Panama
Writers: Richard Alan Simmons, Norman Panama
Languages: English
Countries: United States of America

Want more? Switch to Cinephile mode in the header for DP, composer, budget, box office, production companies, keywords, and release history.

Did you know?

Fun facts 🍿

1 / 7

RUNTIME

Did you know

84 minutes exactly — the "classic feature" runtime most directors aim for.

MoodPlayr · trivia#01

2 / 7

ERA

Did you know

67 years old — a genuine piece of film history.

MoodPlayr · trivia#02

3 / 7

DIRECTOR

Did you know

Directed by Norman Panama, shot by Daniel L. Fapp. Note their partnership — DPs and directors often return to each other across a career.

MoodPlayr · trivia#03

4 / 7

DIRECTOR

Did you know

Editor Everett Douglas shaped the rhythm. On an edit-heavy film, the editor does more to control your pulse than the director.

MoodPlayr · trivia#04

5 / 7

CAST

Did you know

Richard Widmark and Lee J. Cobb and Tina Louise carry the top of the cast.

MoodPlayr · trivia#05

6 / 7

WILD

Did you know

IMDB entry: tt0053374 — still the authoritative cross-reference for credits and trivia.

MoodPlayr · trivia#06

7 / 7

WILD

Did you know

Only 18 TMDB ratings — you're getting ahead of the curve on this one.

MoodPlayr · trivia#07

Cinephile deep dive

The take

Norman Panama directs. Daniel L. Fapp behind the camera. Everett Douglas cuts. Runs lean at under 100 minutes. Produced in United States of America. Dialogue in English.

Trivia

Things worth knowing

184 minutes exactly — the "classic feature" runtime most directors aim for.
267 years old — a genuine piece of film history.
3Directed by Norman Panama, shot by Daniel L. Fapp. Note their partnership — DPs and directors often return to each other across a career.
4Editor Everett Douglas shaped the rhythm. On an edit-heavy film, the editor does more to control your pulse than the director.
5Richard Widmark and Lee J. Cobb and Tina Louise carry the top of the cast.
6IMDB entry: tt0053374 — still the authoritative cross-reference for credits and trivia.
7Only 18 TMDB ratings — you're getting ahead of the curve on this one.

The technical file

Cinematography: Daniel L. Fapp
Editing: Everett Douglas
Costume design: Edith Head
Makeup / hair: Wally Westmore
Runtime: 84 min · 1h 24m
Aspect ratio (typical): 1.37:1 (Academy)
Status: Released
Original language: EN
IMDB: The Trap (1959)

Also by

Norman Panama

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Community reviews

What people are saying

John Chard2015-07-29
★ 8/10
You trying to scare me bogeyman? The Trap (AKA: The Baited Trap) is directed by Norman Panama who also co-writes the screenplay with Richard Alan Simmons. It stars Richard Widmark, Lee J. Cobb, Tina Louise, Earl Holliman and Lorne Greene. Music is by Irvin Talbot and cinematography by Daniel L. Fapp. Tula Torments. Tula, California and Ralph Anderson (Widmark) has returned home under a cloud. He's been a lawyer for mob boss Victor Massonetti (Cobb) and needs to fulfil a favour to get Massonetti out of the country. Unfortunately the law in Tula comprises of his father and brother, the former still angry at Ralph for a youthful misdemeanour, the latter an alcoholic married to Ralph's childhood sweetheart. It's a recipe for disaster... A Technicolor action/thriller that has somehow found its way into some film noir reference books, The Trap should just be viewed as belonging to the former genre titles. Which is fine, especially since it's grand entertainment. Essentially it's a play on the good narrative device of a good man who has done something he's not proud of, but is now desperately trying to make amends. Surrounding him is a fractured family dynamic, a romantic attachment that hurts his very being, and the small matter of some very bad dudes after the quarry in his charge - and thus also his blood! The story throws up a number of surprises to further beef up the psychological broth, emotions are pulled all over the place, while death is a constant threat to keep things on the high heat. There's plenty of sweat and steam, boozing and brooding, neuroticism and nastiness, there's nary a dull moment in the whole play. All of which leads to a genuinely surprising and moving finale. The cast all turn in effective character portrayals, feeding off of one and other to make the picture achieve all it can. The sound stage aspects of the shoot are irksome, with the main painted backdrop particularly looking fake, which is a shame as the genuine exterior photography by Fapp is gorgeous. Small irks aside, this is a meaty hybrid piece out of Paramount and highly recommended to fans of the stars and such genre fare. 8/10

Production companies