Linkshoch Wonderful Movie

Redwarmin This movie is the proof that the world is becoming a sick and dumb place

Raetsonwe Redundant and unnecessary.

ReaderKenka Let's be realistic.

evanston_dad Like so many movies from the late 40s and early 50s, "Pitfall" is labeled as film noir when it really isn't one. It's really just a domestic drama that morphs into a crime thriller in its last few minutes. It's fairly slow and a bit talky. But its frank treatment of middle class malaise and infidelity at a time when an idealized version of the American dream was being sold to Americans wholesale makes it an almost fascinating artifact from late 1940s cinema.Dick Powell is the solid and reliable family man who's landed so deeply in a rut that he can barely see out of either side. He gets it on with Lizabeth Scott (because who wouldn't?) while perfect 1950s housewife Jane Wyatt stays at home with the little boy. But everything threatens to unravel when Scott's ex-con boyfriend decides he wants revenge on the man who stepped out with his girl while he was in prison and threatens to unbalance Powell's picture postcard home life in the worst way imaginable.Notable about "Pitfall" is that Powell seems almost more concerned about his wife finding out he had an affair than he does about being killed, which feels authentic. When caught up in a tangled web of lies, I think human instinct is that almost any outcome would be preferable to being exposed. "Pitfall" is candid about infidelity in a way that was rare for pictures of this time period, but almost as shocking is its acknowledgement that the so-called American dream post-WWII Americans were told they should be content with was actually a big bore.Powell is sardonic; Scott is sexy; Wyatt is dull. And Raymond Burr is creepy, just....creepy.Grade: B

zardoz-13 Initially, while I was watching "Day of the Outlaw" director André De Toth's vintage film noir "Pitfall," I didn't think that it amounted to much. Nevertheless, this gritty Dick Powell thriller about a nice-guy insurance agent who finds himself enamored with the girlfriend of an embezzler improved and ended with a slam-bang ending. Of course, we all know that most Hollywood movies whitewash the stars because it just wouldn't be cricket for a star either to do something wrong or play a loathsome character. Dick Powell doesn't let himself off that easily in this atmospheric melodrama. By the end of "Pitfall," we know that he qualifies as a sort of villain despite his protagonist status. Powell plays Olympic Insurance agent John Forbes. At the outset of this adaptation of Jay Dratler's novel (I know not how faithful the film is to the novel.), Forbes complains about the daily grind of his life. He communicates his dissatisfaction with his wife, Sue Forbes (Jane Wyatt of "Criminal Lawyer"), as she is driving him into the city to his office. Later, at his office, he meets with a sleazy private eye, J.B. MacDonald (Raymond Burr of "Rear Window"), who has just completed an assignment for him involving a lady, Mona Stevens (Lizabeth Scott of "Dead Reckoning"), whose boyfriend Bill Smiley (Bryon Barr of "Covered Wagon Raid") who embezzled some money that Olympic had bonded him for before he went to prison. MacDonald uncovers some of the evidence in the form of booty that Smiley gave Stevens. MacDonald became infatuated with Mona and wants to develop a relationship with her, but Forbes tells him to stop. Forbes pays Mona a visit, and all those complaints about his rut of a life finally get him in deep trouble. He takes Mona out for drinks and they take a ride in a speed boat. Although we never see the two of them coupling or in the aftermath of sex, we know that Forbes has crossed the point of no return. Incidentally, Forbes doesn't tell Mona about his wife and son and their happily ever after home in suburbia. Eventually, things come to a boil, and MacDonald assaults Forbes outside his home. Mona complains that MacDonald is stalking her. When he has no luck with either Mona or Forbes, MacDonald decides to visit Mona's boyfriend in jail and he fills him with stories about Forbes' relationship with Mona, and Smiley is incensed with jealousy. Indeed, MacDonald hopes that if he can stoke those fires of jealousy that the two men with clash and he will emerge as the survivor. Near the end, Smiley visits Forbes' house. Naturally, MacDonald drove him out to where Forbes lived, and Smiley tangles with Forbes. The first time that they encounter each other, Forbes sends Smiley packing, but the jealous Smiley comes back, smashes a window, and Forbes guns him down as he breaks into his house. Of course, the district attorney (John Litel) classifies the shooting as justifiable homicide, but he berates Forbes for not calling the police. The conversation that the D.A. and Forbes have at the end of "Pitfall" paints our hero in an ambiguous light. He gets off scot-free, but he didn't do the right thing. Meanwhile, Mona shoots the amorous MacDonald and she winds up in jail. The chief drawback to "Pitfall" concerns its lack of closure, we never know what happens to Mona. Did MacDonald die as a result of his gunshot wounds? Did Mona do time. All we know is that Forbes is grateful that he didn't land behind bars as the D.A. wished that he had. All in all, "Pitfall" is a nifty piece of film noir. Raymond Burr is ideally cast as the sinister ex-cop turned gumshoe.

atlasmb The concept of an insurance man being the leading character in a passionate film noir story probably seemed more plausible four years after "Double Indemnity" used that theme. In "Pitfall", insurance man John Forbes is portrayed by Dick Powell as a man so dour, unimaginative and boring that the narrative never rings true. We are to believe that Forbes is attractive to sultry blonde Mona Stevens (Lizabeth Scott) and that he is passionate enough to actually make a move on her. But Forbes has a pulse rate that never rises above "disinterested". I guess we are expected to take his mopey attitude as noir cool.The other actors do a fine job. Lizabeth Scott would indeed inspire lust in the 40s male. In the film, her ex-boyfriend committed a crime for her. Raymond Burr is great as the threatening bully. And Jane Wyatt, in a smaller role, is fine as the little lady at home who is saddled with the sad sack Forbes.In the end, justice is served and they all live happily ever after. Well, not really. This is a minor work, well-filmed, but marred by Powell's performance.

seymourblack-1 The need for middle-class families to keep up appearances leads to certain tensions, anxieties and atmospheres being a normal feature of their lives and in this type of environment, it's often the children who suffer most. In one of the most poignant scenes in "Pitfall", a little boy has a terrifying nightmare which his father immediately rationalises by blaming the comic book that the boy had been reading immediately before going to sleep. The father is totally unaware of how profoundly his day to day behaviour has affected his son and that he's the real cause of his son's insecurities and fears.Despite having a family, a good job and a home in the suburbs, John Forbes (Dick Powell) is deeply dissatisfied and bitter about the suffocating routine that his daily life has become. He's irritable at home because he feels he's "in a rut six feet deep" and his patient wife responds to his sarcasm by reassuring him that what he does is worthwhile because he and others like him are "the backbone of the country".At the Olympic Mutual Insurance Company, Forbes is in charge of recovering a list of items that were bought with stolen money by an embezzler called Bill Smiley (Byron Barr) who's currently in prison. After private investigator "Mac" MacDonald (Raymond Burr), who also works for the company, discovers that Smiley had bought his girlfriend a number of expensive gifts, Forbes decides to visit Mona Stevens (Lizabeth Scott) to find out more. Mona is a glamorous fashion model and co-operates fully with Forbes' investigation. He's disappointed that she sees him as merely "a little man with a briefcase" and is easily persuaded to go with her for a ride in the speedboat she'd been given by Smiley. Dinner etc follows and Forbes doesn't get home until the early hours of the next morning.When MacDonald, who'd become infatuated by Mona, sees Forbes leaving her home, he becomes insanely jealous and savagely beats him up. Forbes' injuries prevent him from going to work and when Mona finds out, she goes to see him but is shocked to discover that he's married and so ends their affair. MacDonald threatens to tell Sue Forbes (Jane Wyatt) about the affair and after Forbes beats him up and Smiley is released from prison, MacDonald retaliates by telling Smiley everything, giving him a gun and encouraging him to take his revenge on Forbes. MacDonald then tries to force Mona into going away with him but understandably, she has other ideas. The mayhem that follows then leads to two of the main characters being gunned down and the others facing a very bleak future.Dick Powell brings real bite to Forbes' cynical outbursts and constant complaining as he displays the weakness and selfishness that leads his character to deceive Mona, betray his wife and his employers and damage his son's emotional and psychological development before ending up in a far worse situation than he started in. Raymond Burr is very intimidating as the manipulative villain of the piece who's unctuous, corrupt and extremely jealous and Lizabeth Scott is perfect in her role as the vulnerable blonde who, through no fault of her own, is treated very badly by Forbes, MacDonald and Smiley. Jane Wyatt and Jimmy Hunt also provide good supporting performances as Forbes' wife and son."Pitfall" is set in the period immediately after World War 11 and at the time of its release must've resonated strongly with many people who, for various reasons, would've been finding it difficult to adjust to the standards and expectations of suburban life at that time. It's a cautionary tale that warns of what can happen to anyone who doesn't conform and is also a very well made film that packs a lot of drama and incident into its relatively short running time.