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Too much of everything

As Good As It Gets

In truth, there is barely enough story here to make a film.

The thing I enjoyed most about the film is the fact that it doesn't shy away from being a super-sized-cliche;

Jim Molner (James Mason) owns an electronics store and was duped into making a couple of small detonators for Paul Hoplin (Rod Steiger), a former Army demolitions expert. Hoplin told Molner they were for the military, but filled them with an explosive element second only to plutonium and had them planted on an airplane by Eileen Kelly (Angie Dickinson).We find out these details, in part through the FBI's investigation after the plane makes an emergency landing and the bombs are neutralized. A call was made which tipped off the head of Twentieth Century Airlines before they were to explode. The FBI task force, headed by Frank Cole (Kenneth Tobey), quickly determines that the detonators were made by Molner, and suspects he is the one who is trying to extort $500,000 else he'll actually blow up a plane this time.However, Molner, his wife Joan (Inger Stevens), and their preschool daughter have been kidnapped by Hoplin and his associates which, in addition to Kelly, consists of Vince (Jack Klugman) and Steve (Neville Brand). They've taken the Molners to a secluded home in which Hoplin tells Molner that his wife will be the bag lady for the ransom else they'll kill his daughter. A game of chicken between the Molners and Hoplin changes the plan slightly; Molner is allowed to go with his daughter, Kelly & Vince to another location while his wife will stay with have to stay alone with Steve for some periods of time.It turns out Steve is somewhat unstable and was in prison for raping and/or killing a woman. This makes the moments when Steve is alone with Joan a little dicey. The first time it happens, Hoplin returns in time to prevent Joan from suffering Steve's previous victim's fate. Molner and his daughter are taken by Vince & Kelly to her penthouse apartment, where Kelly has promised to stick a shiv (a very sharp knife) through his daughter's belly if his wife is not successful.Joan is given a complex set of instructions to follow, the first of which are to go to the bank where the FBI task force has assembled to compile the money. She tells them about the kidnapping and, though they're not 100% sure that she's telling them the truth, they give her the money and send her on her way without tailing her. Her next instructions are designed to throw off anyone who may follow her. But if she doesn't arrive at the (now) third house where Hoplin and Steve are waiting by 1:30 PM, Vince & Kelly will get a call to dispose of Molner & his daughter. Of course, she makes an error, which after she corrects it puts her chances of getting to the house on time in jeopardy.Unfortunately, what was a fairly taught and interesting story turns into something with very little credibility at this point. If you thought the FBI's finding out that the original detonators were made by Molner was impossibly fast, "you ain't seen nothing' yet". Plus, Molner is left alone in the loft of Kelly's apartment, with his conveniently asleep daughter, and enough time and freedom of movement to figure out a plan of action (which in the end, didn't accomplish anything anyway). This is AFTER Hoplin already has the money, more alone time between Steve and Joan with improbable consequences, and yet another meaningless location change. I'm afraid my intelligence was insulted just a few two many times for me to recommend this film.

This movie is simply superb. The acting, direction, editing, camera work, suspenseful plot, locations - everything works and is top notch! So why isn't it better known?? The cross-cutting between all the different characters is incredibly well done. I especially love Inger Stevens performance as the young wife. The tense scenes when she is driving in a car to bring the ransom money to the gang members and is going in the wrong direction was thrilling. Rod Steiger is great as a "mastermind criminal". The late 1950's look of the movie is a treat. The psychological use of black & white cinematography is superb. This is an MGM movie but MGM wasn't what it used to be by 1958, "Gigi" excepted. This is Andrew Stone's very best movie. TCM shows it from time to time and it is not to be missed!

"Cry Terror," from 1958 is not a big-budget film, but it holds the viewer throughout. It's the story of a man, James Mason, who is duped into making small bombs which he believes are for government use. Only later does he realize that he made them for a criminal who intends to extort money by placing them on airlines and threatening to detonate them if the money is not paid. He and his family are kidnapped, and his wife (Inger Stevens) is used to collect the money so it seems as if he is the actual guilty party.Rod Steiger is the bad guy, and Jack Klugman, Neville Brand, and the nearly unrecognizable Angie Dickinson make up his gang, each with their own part to play.Without giving anything away, the story is preposterous at times but always suspenseful and effective. Steiger is terrific as a dangerous man whose quiet orders belie a violent temperament. Dickinson is only 26 here and brunette but her sultry voice and gorgeous figure are the same. Brand does well as a scary psychotic, and Klugman is good as a man under Steiger's domination. Mason is appropriately harried.The workhorse role belongs to Inger Stevens, a natural beauty who rose to fame in the TV series "The Farmer's Daughter" and who took her own life, after several unsuccessful attempts, in 1970. In a way, one of her tries at suicide occurred during the filming of "Cry Terror" when she and Rod Steiger suffered carbon monoxide poisoning during a tunnel scene at the end of the film. She refused medical treatment, stating that she wanted to die. She gives an excellent performance in this movie, that of an hysterical, panicked, and ultimately nearly catatonic mother who fears for her husband and young daughter and her own assault by Brand. Unfortunately, due to the fact that Steiger and Mason are so underplayed, she comes off at times as overacting. She was, however, a wonderful and appealing actress who might have gone on to a much bigger career had she lived. She had it all - or so it seemed.This is a good movie loaded with the New York City atmosphere of the '50s, though in one scene, it looked as if Stevens was headed for Brooklyn using the Holland Tunnel. You'll never get there that way.

I enjoyed this picture. No, not perfect, but if it comes on at 1:15 AM and you can't sleep, is kinda fun... full of nostalgic views of the world of 1958, when things seemed simpler, and everything in view was American Made! Yes, Chrysler cars everywhere.. Furnishings of 1958 were a particular delight, full-wall-length draperies, long-low "moderne" couches, vacuum-tube electronics abound, (25" black and white TV's), Cute Women in dresses, real-world locations shot to see the life of '58 USA as it really looked. Gives one a feeling of wanting to go there and live a life of blissful ignorance of any racial, economic, religious, disease caused strife, and just relax with a gang of Psycopaths and enjoy the cool cars, and snappy dialog... FUN.