Get out the popcorn. It's November.

You like thrillers? Mounting tension, increasing paranoia, heart-stopping action, all set against an exotic travelogue? Boy, have you come to the wrong place. Well, maybe not. Today's B- feature is set in Paris, after all.

First, let's get you into the thriller mood.

Today's Short Subject: This Neil Diamond version of Windmills of Your Mind showcases some video from a much higher-budget film than today's feature. There's a lot of chess-playing and face-sucking, which is all very high-toned and cool. Can't beat the combination of Neil Diamond and Steve McQueen. And at least they aren't kissing each other. They wouldn't make a good couple.

Today's Feature Film: René Clément's The Deadly Trap, or La Maison sous les arbres (finally, a French title without diacriticals), was screened at Cannes in 1971. It wasn't part of the competition, which was probably wise. It's not the greatest thriller you've ever seen, but it does have some things going for it: Faye Dunaway doing a lot of acting, Frank Langella looking sexy, and cute kids. Heck, that little boy is so cute, you don't even mind it when he waves guns around.

The story, such as it is: Langella's a computer genius. (Yeah, yeah, we know…who would believe him as a computer genius? In 1971, the geek stereotype hadn't been developed yet.) He was used as an industrial spy by a Shady Corporation. Fleeing the setup, the maths whiz moves to Paris to write educational material. (Your author can relate, if you're going to work on schoolbooks, do it somewhere comfortable.) But his past follows him, and it's unsettling just how far these people will go to get what they want…

There's a lot of Hitchcock-style tension along the Seine, and the usual quirky French cinematography. Persevere through the seemingly endless boat ride during the opening credits, and we think you'll enjoy this one.