A young woman is seen on a flight that is bringing to France. As she exits the terminal, she is met by a chauffeur driving a Rolls Royce. We realize this is a girl from the upper classes. The surprise comes at an intersection where she is forced from the luxury vehicle and made to get into a dilapidated car. The worst nightmare comes true, she is being kidnapped.
The men behind the caper take her to a solitary house by the ocean. Little do these people realize there is a local policeman who loves fishing nearby. At first, they get concerned, but there are more important things to consider, including the way they plan to exchange the young lady for the ransom money they are demanding from her wealthy father.
The kidnappers turn out to be an assorted lot. There is Bud, the driver of the limousine, Leer, a hired gun from the United States, Vi, an airline hostess that happens to be on the flight where the victim travels. The fourth member is Wally, who happens to be Vi's brother and who has planned the snatching. It is clear not everything is well with them as Bud objects the inclusion of Leer, a sinister character, in the proceedings. Vi, on the other hand, has a drug problem; she is a cocaine addict, whose carelessness might put the whole process in danger. One feels for the innocent girl, who is helpless against the brutes that are holding her.
Huber Cornfield was instrumental in getting Lionel White's novel "The Snatchers" to the screen. He wasn't a man with a lot of experience behind the camera though, and it shows. The basic problem is with the staging that, at times, seems weak. There is little logic in the way Mr. Cornfield and Robert Pippeny's screenplay that feels awkward at the most dramatic moments. Then, there was the notorious feud between the director and his star, Marlon Brando, who almost appears acting in a different film.
Marlon Brando, a brilliant actor, was not an easy man to direct. He had strong ideas about acting and he tended to clash with whatever he thought was wrong. His Bud is a man that went along for the promise of riches that would be collected from the girl's father, but he also had a good side to himself in that he saw Leer for what he really was, a ruthless criminal. Bud and Vi were lovers, yet he felt she was beyond help and therefore she could derail the well made plans.
Richard Boone, an excellent character actor, did not receive credit for directing some of the scenes involving Mr. Brando. He plays the creepy Leer who wanted more than just the money. Rita Moreno's wig made her look different in the opening scenes. There is no logic in her flight attendant's job, but we know she is Wally's sister. Drugs were not so prevalent in the late 1960s as they are today. Jess Hahn, an American actor that settled in France, makes an impression as the beefy Wally. Veteran actor Jacques Martin puts in appearance as the cafe owner. Gerard Buhr is the policeman that knows a lot more than what he lets on.
The ending is left to the viewer's interpretation.
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