Directed by:
William WylerScreenplay:
Joseph HayesCinematography:
Lee GarmesCast:
Humphrey Bogart, Fredric March, Arthur Kennedy, Martha Scott, Dewey Martin, Gig Young, Mary Murphy, Richard Eyer, Robert Middleton, Whit Bissell, Ray Collins (more)VOD (2)
Plots(1)
A trio of escaped prisoners terrorize a suburban family while hiding out in their house in William Wyler's gripping drama. Humphrey Bogart plays the lead con, and Fredric March is the father trying to protect his family. (official distributor synopsis)
Reviews (2)
Certainly a significantly above-average film for its time, not only in its genre. It benefits from the professional approach of the screenwriter and the studio, as well as from the years of experience of the legendary Humphrey Bogart, for whom participating in the film was one of his last roles. He convincingly portrayed his seasoned criminal, thanks in part to the screenplay that aimed to follow the path of a realistic story as much as it could. Nevertheless, I won't give it a maximum rating. This film simply had greater potential, and while many films have too much of something, here I feel like something is missing. The Desperate Hours could have been much more interesting as a psychological-social drama rather than a regular crime film. Overall impression: 80%. ()
I completely agree with Oskar's review: the initially excellent crime line runs out of breath long before the end, and the potentially more interesting social line never really gets a chance to speak. In terms of acting, of course, no reservations. ()
Gallery (54)
Photo © Paramount Pictures
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