The story lures the viewer in quickly. It's early morning and a young pretty woman (Neile Adams, Steve McQueen's real life wife at the time) is down to her last drink and orders a brandy at a Las Vegas casino cocktail lounge. She takes a sip and her shoe falls off. A down on his luck young gambler (Steve McQueen) helps her retrieve her shoe and makes conversation. He offers to have coffee and breakfast with his last $1.86 and she decides to join him. While he lights her cigarette, a strange little man named Carlos (Peter Lorre) interrupts to get a light for his cigarette. He buts into their meeting and leads their conversation into the man's lighter. He tells the couple that he's rich and has in mind a strange wager of his expensive sports car for something the young man has. The young man tells him he only has $1.86 and a casino chip, but that's not what he has in mind. Another stranger who overhears their strange bet can't help but get involved. I can see Peter Lorre doing his strange laugh after making the proposition. 9/10 stars.
Review of Man from the South
