The Grissom Gang

When the wealthy heiress Barbara Blandish (Kim Darby) falls into the clutches of the dangerous Grissom gang, her fate seems sealed: once the ransom is paid, she is to be killed. But then the unstable youngest son of the gang, Slim Grissom (Scott Wilson), falls in love with her. Although Depression-era gangster films with outlaw romance were in vogue following the success of "Bonnie and Clyde" (1967), even Aldrich’s final film for his own studio (which had to be sold shortly thereafter) was a flop. Instead of pandering to nostalgia and genre conventions, he combined crime-film excess with an impossible love story, resulting in an improbable tragedy: yet another challenge to audience expectations. In his satirical jabs, Aldrich emphasizes class differences above all else: the worst monster in a monstrous film turns out to be a millionaire (Wesley Addy). (C.H.)