Le diable à trois

It's a shame this is not easily available on DVD. It was a really cool thriller, well plotted, well acted.

Crafty little thriller about a wealthy, bored young couple (James Caan and Katharine Ross) who resort to playing kinky games for kicks. The games turn deadly though when mysterious stranger Simone Signoret insinuates herself into their lives. After a rather slow start, Games soon segues into an exciting, serpentine mystery that seems way ahead of its time for 1967. Although modern audiences have become too adept at sniffing out clues and predicting twist-endings, this film is still very effective at keeping its audience guessing. Rarely shown on tv, but if you do have the opportunity to see it...do!

Peculiar thriller begins quite promisingly, but takes a curious, dispiriting turn somewhere along the way and never recoups its glory. Upscale New York couple James Caan and Katharine Ross--who enjoy warped versions of penny-arcade games and mischievous pranks--invite fragile saleswoman Simone Signoret to stay with them, which culminates in a crime. Director Curtis Harrington, who was also involved with the script, sets up an initially delicious puzzle involving the decadent rich, but allows the intricacies of the character-development to unravel in the second act. Caan and Ross appear to be very much in love--and Ross herself seems to be a pretty smart cookie--rendering a plot-twist late in the proceedings unconvincing. William Fraker's cinematography is stylish, though the action rarely ventures outdoors and one becomes acutely aware of the low-budget underpinnings (the film also has a mysteriously European feel, causing the alleged New York location to seem irrelevant--and a mismatch with the material). Good acting only takes it so far. **1/2 from ****

When I was a kid living in southeast Missouri in the early '80s, this movie was frequently shown on television; there was a cable station out of St. Louis, I believe, that would show this. It would be shown as an afternoon movie from around 2-4 p.m., maybe, and then AGAIN in the evening, from 8-10. Captivated me the first couple of times I saw it, with its slick, stylish production values and quiet, slowly-escalating suspense, but I have to admit I got a little tired of seeing it. So I don't know what all this talk about it not being on TV is about. Well worth seeing if you never have, though, or if it's been awhile. All the performances are top notch, the story keeps you hooked and guessing--at least if you haven't seen a lot of these kinds of movies, I guess; to be honest, I think even as a kid I had a vague idea of how it would turn out. But getting there is fun.

I agree with others that this is a hard one to find, luckily I recorded it once years ago, but every now and then I dig it out and watch it. It's just a fun movie to watch with a great performance by Simone S. who dominates every scene she is in. This movie has atmosphere and an air of intimacy about it. The story may not be totally original but the originality of the characters overcomes any shortness of the script. Kooky Estelle Winwood is great as the "cat lady" who lives next door, who's always concerned about her savings coupons. The "Mod" decor of the 60's only enhances the funkiness to this movie. Scan the movie section and if you see it's going to be on by all means tune in and get turned on!