Trapeze (1956)

"Neither one of us is good without the other."

Mike Ribble (Lancaster) was a talented trapeze artist, and the 6th man to successfully perform the triple somersault, until a fall ended his career.  Years later, he is working in Bouglione's (Gomez) circus as a rigger.  Tino Orsini (Curtis) is a promising trapeze artist who wants to learn the triple somersault from the best.  Despite Mike's initial reluctance, he sees the potential in Tino.  They become a team, with Mike serving as the catcher and instructor and Tino as the flyer.  They promise Bouglione a triple somersault and he puts them in the show.

Meanwhile, Lola (Lollobrigida) is willing to do anything to get the spotlight on herself.  She is a member of a tumbling group, where she is slowly taking on a more prominent role.  But she sees Mike and Tino as a better opportunity and ditches her current act.  Mike wants a two-act "one flies and one catches - and no one comes between", but Tino and Bouglione force him to include Lola.  Lola tries to manipulate both Tino and Mike to get a bigger and better role in the act, which puts the triple on the back-burner.  Can Tino successfully complete the triple somersault and keep the team together?

Based on the 1950 novel "The Killing Frost" by Max Catto.

The Good:

The trapeze scenes are incredible.  You feel the tension and are on the edge of your seat.  The camera work in general is great.

Tony Curtis and Burt Lancaster make a great team.

The Bad:

It drags in places.  You really dislike Gina Lollobrigida's Lola for most of the film - Lollobrigida does it well, but I don't love the character.

Other Comments:

-Lancaster worked in the circus before acting.  He performed most of his own trapeze stunts in the film.

-Lancaster and Curtis made 4 films together, including this one: Criss Cross in 1949, Sweet Smell of Success in 1957, and The List of Adrian Messenger in 1963.

-The rest of the cast (outside of the love triangle) are fine, but don't have much to do.

Trapeze (1956) 145 minutes

Director: Carol Reed

Starring: Burt Lancaster as Mike Ribble

Tony Curtis as Tino Orsini

Gina Lollobrigida as Lola

Katy Jurado as Rosa O'Flynn

Thomas Gomez as Bouglione

Johnny Puleo as Max

Minor Watson as John Ringling North 

Gerard Landry as Chikki

John-Pierre Kerien as Otto

The Running Man (2025)

"Stop filming me!"

The United States is run by an authoritarian media network.  Most people live in poverty and are desperate enough for money that they participate in deadly games for the entertainment of the wealthy.  Ben Richards (Powell) was blacklisted from his job for trying to protect his co-workers.  His two-year old daughter, Cathy (Alyssa Benn and Sienna Benn), is sick and needs medicine.  His wife, Sheila (Lawson), works extra hours as a hostess, but can't make enough money to afford the medicine their daughter needs.  With no other options, Ben goes to the Network to try out for one of their shows.

Ben's past actions and his willingness to help other contestants puts him on the radar of network executive Dan Killian (Brolin).  Ben is selected for the most dangerous show "The Running Man" where contestants are hunted and killed live on the show.  They are given money and a head start, and are tracked by five hunters and a hi-tech surveillance system run by the Network.  If they survive 30 days, they win a massive amount of cash, but the show is considered a death sentence.

Ben vows to return to his family, but Killian paints him as a dangerous criminal.  With the hunters, led by Evan McCone (Pace), and the bloodthirsty audience looking everywhere, can Ben survive the month?

The film is based on Stephen King's (originally published under the pseudonym Richard Bachman) 1982 novel "The Running Man".  The story was previously adapted to film in 1987's The Running Man, starring Arnold Schwarzengger.

The Good:

The story sticks close to the original novel.  But the screenplay by Michael Bacall and director Edgar Wright is also willing to make some changes to keep the audience (and fans of the novel) on their toes.  The story moves at a decent pace and keeps the action moving.

Glen Powell is a strong, angry lead.  And while he is over the top, it is hard to look away from Colman Domingo's Bobby T.  The side characters, who pop-in to help, are interesting... it's too bad we don't get more time with them.

The Bad:

The film is missing director Edgar Wright's normal flair.  It isn't a bad film, it just doesn't make as much of an impact as it could.

The villains, played by Josh Brolin and Lee Pace, are caricatures (i.e. mustache twirling villains) - they are over the top.

Other Comments:

-Has a different ending from both King's novel and the Schwarzenegger film.

-King endorsed the film

-I read the novel in preparation for watching the movie (and because I like another of King's non-horror novels).  While the novel is hard to read (violence and language), it was a fascinating story and I was intrigued by an Edgar Wright adaptation.  It was OK, but not overly memorable.

The Running Man (2025) 129 minutes

Rating: R for strong violence, some gore, and language

Director: Edgar Wright

Starring: Glen Powell as Ben Richards

William H. Macy as Molie

Lee Pace as Evan McCone

Michael Cera as Elton Parrakis

Emilia Jones as Amelia Williams

Daniel Ezra as Bradley

Jayme Lawson as Sheila Richards

Sean Hayes as Gary Greenbacks

Katy O'Brian as Jenni Laughlin

Colman Domingo as Bobby T

Josh Brolin as Dan Killian