By Geno McGahee
Rod Steiger was just an incredible actor and he brings his A game to the 1968 crime/thriller “NO WAY TO TREAT A LADY.” The film surrounds a master of disguise (not Dana Carvey, thank god) that is going around strangling women, leading to a manhunt, headed up by detective Morris Brummel (George Segal). As much as the two are different, similarities arise and the two begin a cat and mouse game that proves very entertaining.
Christopher Gill (Steiger) has big time mom issues and had declared war on women…especially those that remind him of his mother. He uses his charm and position to enter the homes of his victims. He poses as a priest, initially, and then it’s revealed that he can play any role and do many accents. He is also very touchy. He reads the paper after every kill and if something is incorrect, he flips out. This comes into play later when Brummel begins to figure out how the mind of the killer works.
Brummel has his own mom issues. His mother is overbearing and verbally abusive, always comparing him to his brother. She insults his position as a cop and continually takes jabs at him. He ignores most of the abuse, but as a viewer, I was hoping that Gill made his way to her apartment and took her out. Sadly, she makes it through the film.
While investigating, Brummel meets Kate Palmer (Lee Remick). The two hit it off and begin dating, but they are being closely watched by Gill. As much as they are on opposite sides of the law, Gill sees Brummel as nearly a friend and calls him frequently to discuss his unfair treatment in the news. When Gill erupts on the phone, he later apologizes to the detective. Although Brummel desperately wants to catch the killer, he does find him amusing and entertains his phone calls.
The more frustrated that Gill gets, the more he reveals and the relationship between he and Brummel gets more personal. So personal that Gill tricks Kate into allowing him into her apartment. He then calls the station and lets them know he can be reached there. It is an intense moment as Brummel runs to her place not knowing what he will find when he gets there.
A final showdown leads to more revelations from Gill. NO WAY TO TREAT A LADY is a very well-written film with great performances across the board. Steiger showed his talent as he played so many different characters and all of which were believable. The other half of this movie, Segal, did an incredible job as well. This film is about as good as a crime thriller can get. I highly recommend it.
Rating: 8/10
