The Grissom Gang (1971)

Set in 1931 Missouri, a wealthy heiress (Kim Darby) is kidnapped by three men (Michael Baseleon, Matt Clark, Mort Marshall). They are ambushed by a rival gang who take the girl with them. The gang, headed by a tough old lady (Irene Dailey), ask for a million dollar ransom. Based on the controversial novel NO ORCHIDS FOR MISS BLANDISH by James Hadley Chase which was previously filmed in 1948 in Great Britain and directed by Robert Aldrich (WHATEVER HAPPENED TO BABY JANE?). This is an unpleasant and sordid film as I assume the original source material is. When it opened, the critics used words like lurid, offensive, immoral and lascivious to describe it. No, it's not all that but even now, it's a difficult watch. The film is an early example of the Stockholm syndrome (the term wasn't coined until 1973) wherein the victim develops an emotional and/or psychological connection with their captors. Aldrich and his ace cinematographer Joseph Biroc give the film an authentic 1930s sheen. The acting is often too broad and uneven but Scott Wilson as a hillbilly sociopath and Kim Darby (who dislikes the film) manage to eventually create two dimensional characters. With Connie Stevens, Robert Lansing, Tony Musante, Irene Dailey, Wesley Addy and Ralph Waite.