O Terceiro Tiro

A clever, well-acted thriller with enough plot twists to leave you reeling, and an ending you will not believe. From a dull beginning to an exhaustingly clever ending, it will hold you spellbound, confused, engrossed and tense. Should be re-released, but not re-made.

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 ****

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!

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

This film reminds me of "Sleuth", the movie based on a play by Anthony Shaffer released in 1972. Like in "Sleuth", people play games on each other and do not reveal their alliances, their true intentions or their true self. The story is acted like in a theatre play. The sets, representing a New York town house in a prosperous neighbourhood, are nicely done and give a vivid impression of the middle sixties' trends in fashion design and interior decorating - again you can compare it with the lavish set and the different costumes used by the protagonists in "Sleuth". For once, James Caan plays a slick urbanite, and he does it quite well. Don Stroud has a small part, a good actor whose screen presence and performance are always memorable. And then there is Simone Signoret ... as always she is absolutely riveting, and she puts a lot of charm in her rather pityful character. She uses her French accent very much to her advantage! "Games" is an elegant, suspenseful thriller for people who like to see a play now and then. Only right at the end you will know who has won!