The Bait

"The Bait" is an interesting idea for a film and back in 1973 it was very modern and innovative. After all, rape was hardly ever talked about and it's one of the earlier made for TV films that addresses it. Unfortunately, the script has a few holes and the star, Donna Mills, while a lovely actress was just out of her element here playing a tough cop!

When the film begins, Tracy Fleming (Mills) is an undercover cop on duty on buses. It seems that some pervs have been annoying women and she is busting these jerks. However, while these crimes might seem petty, this rookie cop soon will deal with a seriously deranged rapist--one who not only molests his victims but kills them! I was shocked when a character played by Arlene Golonka was attacked and killed by him, as she always played the sweet girl next door type. And now, Tracy is out to rid the world of this baddie.

The biggest problem I had was watching Tracy busting criminals came off as kind of cute. The thin, not at all muscular Mills just was impossible for me to believe as a tough cop. Additionally, late in the film her character seemed really dumb and ineffectual when confronted by the killer--something very inconsistent. Overall, a film that tried but just didn't quite hit the mark.

An elusive serial killer is murdering women and the police are unable to catch him. So an undercover policewoman by the name of "Tracy Fleming" (Donna Mills) volunteers to act as bait over the strong objections of her boss who feels it is simply too risky. In doing so she winds up putting not just herself but her entire family in danger as well. At any rate, Donna Mills puts on a pretty good performance in this "made-for-television" movie. Likewise, William Devane also does a good job as the serial killer, "Earl Stokey". Now, because this film was made for prime-time audiences you shouldn't expect anything too graphic. Personally, I would have preferred otherwise simply for the effect. But this picture does have some exciting moments and Donna Mills is definitely a beauty in whatever role she plays. That said, while it may not be the best crime-drama ever produced it is probably worth a person's time all things considered.

The same year that Angie Dickinson took on the role of Pepper Anderson, Donna Mills appeared in this carbon copy. The story is just your typical psycho on the loose film and Mills pretty much walks through it as the detective that's out to catch the lunatic. I'm wondering if Aaron Spelling and Leonard Goldberg were knowingly trying to copy the success of "Police Woman". If they were, they did a very lousy job.

Four women have been raped and murdered in a very short period of time. The killer's signature sets him apart from other such criminals. The police want to catch this madman fast for obvious reasons. It's not long before victim number five is stalked, defiled, and dispatched.

Enter Detective Tracy Fleming (Donna Mills). She convinces her superior (Michael Constantine) to assign her as THE BAIT.

This is another wonderful made-for-TV thriller from the 1970's. It also has some borderline horror elements: Like whenever the killer is creeping around, or the scene in the bus yard. Ms. Mills is perfectly cast in her role. She has a real knack for movies of this type. Watch for June Lockhart as her mother-in-law, and William Devane in an early role.

The one drawback to this movie is that the perpetrator's identity is revealed a bit too soon. Other than that it's very good. The frenzied finale, in close quarters, is one for the books!...

This film is based on a 1968 novel by Dorothy Uhnak. It is a very good book that I recommend. There is a condensed version of it in Reader's Digest Volume 2. The movie, as usual, doesn't do justice to the book. The names were changed from the characters in the book, ruining the feel for those who have read the story. It just felt like another bland cop story. They could have done so much more with it, but this can be said of most good books that end up being bad films. It was an ill-conceived project. Many of the subtleties that were in the book, you just can't feel them on film. I don't feel that they made a concerted effort to convey these subtleties to begin with. There is much more to Uhnak's book than a simple detective story. There are other things that lie beneath the surface which were not conveyed on the screen.