It's amazing that this made-for-TV movie was so good - there's very little that was suspenseful - and the money laundering scenes were presented as suit-n-tie business dealings - altho the man was disguised - it just didn't seem that sinister - there are very few degenerates or gunplay - it's very suburban middle-class in tone and feel
however - it proved memorable for me - i saw it when it was first broadcast in 1967 and it's haunted my memories since - i think i saw a rebroadcast some years later - but otherwise - it has only been rebroadcast in my mind
frankly - it was the thought of being in an arranged marriage to Inger Stevens that burned itself into my memory - while i've never been a huge fan of hers - she was so appealing in this film that the sensuous thought of it pulled me into the plot
unlike much of today's TV fare - it's in bright color (color TV was just becoming wide spread in 1967) - and in the early 4:3 television aspect ratio - which probably accounts for the TV "look" that differs from big-screen movies and much of today's TV - and at this early stage of made-for-TV movies - they hadn't gotten into the habit of announcing every commercial break with rising music cues at a cliff-hanger moment
this film is about characters and relationships - it follows the life of a young childless middle-class couple who live in a suburb of NYC - who are cozy with their next door neighbors who are child-filled - the husbands commute together to NYC together - but while the neighbor heads off to his office - the younger man dons a disguise and visits banks with a briefcase full of cash - obviously for money laundering - though before the end of day - he does wind up at a small office in the city filled with toys and a solitary employee
then 23 minutes into the film - things change - between the couple - and to the couple - that change brings them into collision with their crime syndicate bosses ("the company") - but things are handled by the company bosses with subtlety and finesse (a wonderful departure from convention) - with almost nothing of menacing thugs or dark dirty alleys
the good actors deserve their share of credit - Don Murray and Inger Stevens as the couple have great chemistry together - Barry Nelson as the neighbor has chemistry with them too - Fritz Weaver is at his best as a suave syndicate boss - but even the others with less screen time add wonderful color and texture to the weave
the single flaw is the hazy incoherent monologue explaining the formation of "the company" in a vague conspiracy theory indictment of businessmen and politicians - but overall this story is laid out in such a way as to make the mundane engrossing - ie they don't overdo the action for actions sake - in other words this is an intelligent script probably best appreciated by similar minded people
however - it proved memorable for me - i saw it when it was first broadcast in 1967 and it's haunted my memories since - i think i saw a rebroadcast some years later - but otherwise - it has only been rebroadcast in my mind
frankly - it was the thought of being in an arranged marriage to Inger Stevens that burned itself into my memory - while i've never been a huge fan of hers - she was so appealing in this film that the sensuous thought of it pulled me into the plot
unlike much of today's TV fare - it's in bright color (color TV was just becoming wide spread in 1967) - and in the early 4:3 television aspect ratio - which probably accounts for the TV "look" that differs from big-screen movies and much of today's TV - and at this early stage of made-for-TV movies - they hadn't gotten into the habit of announcing every commercial break with rising music cues at a cliff-hanger moment
this film is about characters and relationships - it follows the life of a young childless middle-class couple who live in a suburb of NYC - who are cozy with their next door neighbors who are child-filled - the husbands commute together to NYC together - but while the neighbor heads off to his office - the younger man dons a disguise and visits banks with a briefcase full of cash - obviously for money laundering - though before the end of day - he does wind up at a small office in the city filled with toys and a solitary employee
then 23 minutes into the film - things change - between the couple - and to the couple - that change brings them into collision with their crime syndicate bosses ("the company") - but things are handled by the company bosses with subtlety and finesse (a wonderful departure from convention) - with almost nothing of menacing thugs or dark dirty alleys
the good actors deserve their share of credit - Don Murray and Inger Stevens as the couple have great chemistry together - Barry Nelson as the neighbor has chemistry with them too - Fritz Weaver is at his best as a suave syndicate boss - but even the others with less screen time add wonderful color and texture to the weave
the single flaw is the hazy incoherent monologue explaining the formation of "the company" in a vague conspiracy theory indictment of businessmen and politicians - but overall this story is laid out in such a way as to make the mundane engrossing - ie they don't overdo the action for actions sake - in other words this is an intelligent script probably best appreciated by similar minded people