Booby Trap

As the other reviewer on this site has noted, BOOBY TRAP has a rather flimsy premise for a movie. After an interesting, scientific jargon-heavy introduction, we follow an eccentric scientist who's created a bomb inside a pen. Unfortunately, he loses the pen, and the police must then hunt it down before it explodes.

The thriller-ish premise is an excuse to reveal some of the murkier sides of modern life in a film that is both short and snappy. We're introduced to a cast of ne'er-do-wells and those trying to lift themselves out of the gutter, while all the time mild crime and thriller elements play out. Incredibly, this movie was based on a novel, so we can only imagine what that was like.

The cast is rather undistinguished, excluding comedy actor Harry Fowler who brings charm to his role. Director Henry Cass made a number of genre films from the era, some good (BLOOD OF THE VAMPIRE) and some bad (THE HAND). This falls into the middle somewhere.