Le traquenard

Surprisingly good unknown noir, featuring fine work from noir regulars Ella Raines, William Bendix, Vincent Price and Edmund O'Brien. Taut, well-acted, although rather unsurprisingly plotted and photographed, this is quite a satisfying diversion.

Ms. Raines, a competent actress, seems to have relied on her 'ironed' and particularly sleek tresses to carry her career forward. Price, always elevated because of his voice, poise and diction, carries another role both admirably and distastefully. Edmond O'Brien, oleaginous and plump, doesn't sweat as much as usual, although he is subjected to a hotter than usual roasting from... William Bendix, who many of my generation recall as the harmlessly bumbling Riley in 'The Life of Riley' TV series of the 1950's, once again reprises his role as a hard as nails, street-wise tough guy as the police detective.

Great ensemble cast of noir regulars, good pacing and direction, mostly mediocre dialog and music and cinematography, yet still a joy to watch.

I saw this on AMC one night and loved it. One of the best things Vincent Price ever did. Nice twists and turns, great performances. A real underrated gem. Edmund O'Brien and William Bendix give wonderful performances. This movie is hard to track down. Try and seek it out.

Vincent Price was my main attraction to The Web, and thank goodness I checked it out because it was a very good movie. Edmond O'Brien for my tastes is rather bland and the exterior set for the rendezvous is on the tacky side. Aside from that, The Web is very well made, stylish, atmospheric and sumptuous. The script is taut and exceptionally well-written, the direction is spirited and never lags and while the story is somewhat run-of-the-mill the fact that the film continually makes it interesting and intricate makes you not mind so much. Ella Raines is appropriately smart and elegant, while John Abbott is very creepy and William Bendix is great fun as the crafty police lieutenant who is not as dumb as he looks. But the film belongs to Vincent Price, suave and subtly menacing it is a role that he is perfect for and one that he plays the heck out of. All in all, a very well-done thriller that deserves to be better known. 8/10 Bethany Cox

Ella Raines was one of the best and most under-utilized actresses of the 40's. She was great in Phantom Lady and Tall In The Saddle, and is even better in the Web. And Bendix, O'Brien, and Price all equal her in excellence. But, the writing is the single most above-average thing about this all-but-forgotten little gem. It is exceedingly well[plotted, suspenseful, and surprising without ever seeming the least bit contrived. Mystery fans should track AMC carefully to be sure to catch this one next time around.

A delight for old movie fans—perfectly cast, engagingly scripted, and generally unpredictable. O'Brien's a brash, penny-ante lawyer who hooks up with slick, financial tycoon Price and his silken mistress- secretary Raines. Somebody's going to get taken for a ride, but who. O'Brien's so good at playing fast-talking operators, while Price calibrates (no hamming here) surprisingly well as a sly fox. And the long haired Raines looks absolutely ravishing as the cool and calculating Noel. Judged from this showcase, it's really too bad that O'Brien and Raines have slipped into obscurity. Also, catch John Abbott as Charles, the rather mysterious factotum. He always adds eccentric color to his parts.

Those early scenes of O'Brien getting entangled are expertly scripted with sharply drawn characters. The banter is especially engaging without being cutesy or competitive with the story. I also like the way O'Brien's character (Regan) is kept purposely ambiguous, adding an element of unpredictability to the story's direction. Bendix's crafty cop is nicely conceived too. His scenes with O'Brien are little gems of sly one-upmanship. My only complaint is that tacky exterior set where O'Brien and Raines rendezvous. Doing the outdoors on a sound stage was always a challenge for the studios.

Anyway, the movie comes as a pleasant, noirish surprise, again demonstrating the vitality of post-war Hollywood.