The Desperate Hours

Starring: Humphrey Bogart, Fredric March, Arthur Kennedy, Martha Scott, Dewey Martin, Gig Young, Mary Murphy
Directed by: William Wyler
Rating: Not rated
Genre: Drama, Thriller, Film-Noir
1955

Times Seen:
Tim: 1

Summary: An escaped convict (Humphrey Bogart) and two other convicts hide out from the police in a man's (Fredric March) home, taking him, his wife (Martha Scott), and their two children hostage.

Review:

Tim: This is a good movie that needed to pack just a little more of a punch to be truly effective. The story of a family held captive inside their own home is compelling, and the film constantly reminds the audience of the peril this family is in, so there is never a dull moment.

Fredric March does a good job as the family patriach. He sets the standard for the rebellious hostage (see Ransom), and is very believable. Humphrey Bogart has aged quite a bit, and sadly, feels just a little too old for the role. He plays it convincingly, but it still makes you yearn for his exuberance in films like The Petrified Forest. Still, he is menacing here and really appears to be a man on the edge and one capable of some heinous actions. The rest of the cast is decent, but March's family tends to get annoying- especially his wife's crying and pleading.

The story has enough of a plot to keep you very interested. Oftentimes in films like this, the bad guys can seem imcompetent or simply destined to fail. That is not the case here. While these aren't the world's greatest criminals (they are desperate men for a reason), they are pretty clever and careful about their actions. The back-and-forth between the captives and the captors is very interesting and keeps us firmly in our seats. Sadly, the story isn't new, and we just feel a bit let down. Still, this is a decent-to-good film.

Rating 1-10
Tim's Rating: 7



If You Enjoyed This Movie, We Recommend: The Petrified Forest, Treasure of the Sierra Madre, High Sierra, The Caine Mutiny