Movie review - "The Challenge" (1960) **1/2 aka It Takes a Thief

Jayne Mansfield was an imitation Marilyn Monroe but here she steps into a part that really should have been played by Diana Dors - the sexy leader of a gang of crooks.

Like Too Hot to Handle it's a lower budgeted British crime film, with an imported star, decent director (in this case John Gilling), European male lead (in this case Carl Monher), jazzy soundtrack, Mansfield sings a song.

It's got a solid story - a gang try to find out where Anthony Quayle hid money - and stakes - they kidnap Quayle's son. Mansfield isn't really convincing as the gang leader - and you know something? She didn't have to play that. It would've been better had she just been the femme dfetale who was decent with Mohner as the baddy.

Peter Reynolds, balding and pudgy faced, is scary as the gangster who befriends Quayle's kidnapped son and encourages him to run into a train. Edward Judd is good as a cop. The ending of this is suspenseful. Mansfield sings a song, which feels random.

This is a decent little movie.