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An ititerant peddler (Michel Simon) finds the body of a young girl in a Swiss forest and alerts an inspector from a neighboring town who'd once been kind to him. When Inspector Matthai (Heinz Ruhmann) gets there, he finds a mob eager to lynch the peddler who soon commits suicide in his cell after a grueling interrogation. Matthai believes the old man was innocent and the savage razor slaying the work of a serial killer prowling the woods along a major highway. No longer on the police force, the ex-inspector sets out to catch the killer by renting a roadside gas station and hiring a young woman with an 8 year-old daughter to be his housekeeper with the intention of using the child as bait...

That's a dangerous game to play in this gripping cat-and-mouse thriller that's also a fairly good police procedural, considering the resources and lack of forensics at the time. Gert Frobe is chilling as the misogynist psychopath and it was this performance that led the producers of GOLDFINGER to cast him as the titular megalomaniac.

An old man is rushing through the woods and stumbles over a dead girl's body. He rushes to the village to call the police. But what he didn't expect happens - he gets the blame for it, not only by police who interrogate mercilessly, but by his fellow villagers. He says he's innocent. But no one believes him, except the chief inspector, who's set to retire in a day or so. But this case consumes him, when it takes a dramatic turn. He takes it upon himself to find out more. So he befriends a lady and her little girl. But they do not know what he's up to. The lady helps him manage a small shop/gas station in the determined vicinity of the attacks. What will he find? What will find him? This is an excellent film, with astounding use of black and white in telling and showing the story. This was remade in 2001 by director Sean Penn with Jack Nicholson in the lead role and with a totally different ending and a more downbeat feel to it. I had already seen it and liked it, before I saw this; but now, I prefer this version. The subject matter may be a bit unsettling to parents, but the treatment is first rate and with very believable dubbed American words. If you miss this relatively unknown foreign film, you've missed one of the best of its kind.

This haunting movie based on a Fredrich Durrenmatt novel concerns a detective (an obstinate Heinz Ruhmann) becomes involved in the case of a little girl's killing . At the beginning appears as main suspect an unfortunate vagrant (incomparable Michael Simon). Then the policeman hires a gas station and takes employee a single mother (a sweet Maria Rosa Salgado) with a daughter , being his intention of utilizing them as bait for a cruel murderous . The police detective trying to trap a child killer , at the same time his mind on the woman and the little girl . Prepare Yourself For a Most Unusual and Disquieting Tale of Suspense!

This Spain/German/Switzerland co-production is a well crafted movie with plenty of suspense , thrills and psychological studio . The picture functions on various levels with superb roles nicely played by the entire casting and a well-paced screenplay that leads to the climax with the presence of the serial killer along with the kid and the possible tragedy . Friedrich Dürrenmatt wrote the script and at the same time developing the novel form on the story under the title "Das Versprechen" . He completed the book after the movie was finished and gave it a different , much darker ending . Its perfect developing resides not in displays of frenzied action and grisly violence like happens in modern cinema , but rather lies about interesting characters and suspenseful happenings . Atmospheric white and black cinematography by Heinrich Guerner and appropriate musical score with thrilling leitmotif by Bruno Cantafora . The motion picture was well written by Ladislao Vadja (together with Hans Jacoby and Friedrich Durrenmatt) and excellently directed . Vadja was author of magnificent movies , such as : 'The miracle of Marcelino' , 'Angel passed on Brooklyn' , and 'Uncle Jacinto' all of them starred by child prodigy Pablito Calvo . In my opinion ¨The Bait¨ is one of the best films to come out of Europe in the decade of the 50s . If you like thoughtful and brooding films that are exciting and rich pace with rhythm but no displaying a great deal of action , you'll like this one .

Other movies about this exciting novel are the following ones : 'The cold light of day' directed by Rudolf Van Den Berg with Richard E. Gant ; a German version (1997) directed by Nick Hoffman ; and American version 'The pledge' by Sean Penn with Jack Nicholson , Benicio Del Toro and Robin Wright Penn .

Truly one of the superlative thriller/mystery films of all time. I saw it in the original German on Austria TV and it is still gripping. I thought it is so Hitchcockian then I realized the musical technique--the sudden loud shrieks in the orchestra--at the moment of contact with the killer, his house and the car. This is Psycho. The film mood and pace is Psycho. Then again, I realized the film and the Broadway play which received Tony nomination were both celebrated shortly before Psycho was made. Could it be that Hitch made the perfect horror film as a paean to this great masterpiece. One of the few films of the genre I will set next to Hitchcock and it does indeed hold its place superbly. Can any compliment be higher. If you love Hitchcock as I do, you must get the film--the original German print of 1958 not the TV version and not the American remake with Nicholson, as fine as it is. If you understand German watch it first that way. Unforgettable.

Truth to tell, films from 1950's Germany about which one can enthuse are few and far between but this one is well directed by Ladislao Vajda, atmospherically shot by his preferred cameraman Heinrich Gartner and depite its slow pace, is thoroughly engrossing.

One of his country's perennially popular actors, Heinz Ruemann stars as a detective who promises the mother of a brutally murdered girl that he will find the killer. Although he is officially off the case he proceeds to fulfil his vow by means of application, perspiration, inspiration and of course, a little bit of luck. Herr Ruemann's post-war career continued unabated despite his perceived chumminess with Hitler's regime. He is an extremely engaging artiste with whom one cannot fail to connect and here he gives his customarily immaculate and understated performance.

Gert Froebe turns in a truly terrifying portrayal of the murderer Schrott which by all accounts led to his eventual casting as Auric Goldfinger and special mention must be made of Michel Simon's stupendous performance as the unfortunate Jacquier. One would have fully expected him to be dubbed but this superlative actor has learnt his lines phonetically and delivers them with the utmost conviction.

Swiss writer Friedrich Duerrenmatt professed to being unhappy with the script, feeling that it did not go far enough and required a more realistic ending. He refined and expanded the theme in the form of a novel entitled 'The Pledge', in which the detective's obsession leads to alcoholism and insanity. This version was made in 2001 by Sean Penn with an impressive central performance by Jack Nicholson. In true Hollywoodland fashion both the film and its star were overlooked as the film failed to make any money.

The later film has thus far garnered no less than 624 reviews whereas the original has achieved the grand total of ...21. The present eye praises the present object it seems plus the inescapable fact that the demographic of IMDb is mainly American.