jimbo-53-186511 The Desperate Hours is an early example of a 'home invasion' thriller and has clearly proved influential on more recent examples of the genre (such as Panic Room). Whilst it is a 'reasonable' film there are some quite severe flaws to this film which are difficult to overlook....The premise for this film suggests that it's going to be a tense affair between some escaped convicts and an unsuspecting family. Whilst this film does offer some tension and some menace I found that it didn't do this consistently enough. It lost points immediately for me when I started to learn that the captors were allowing family members to leave the home for varying reasons. In what world would captors allow their hostages to roam the streets willy-nilly? OK the father was on errands for Griffin so I could buy him being allowed to venture outside (just about), but the daughter seemed to disappear off out with her boyfriend and served no real benefit to the captors by being out and about. These are quite severe flaws and Bogey muttering such lines as "He won't go to the police, he's not that stupid" are all well and good at attempting to create tension and menace, but make absolutely no logical sense. Sure he always has one member of the family there as an incentive for the family not to go to the police, but why take the risk??? Home Invasion films generally have rather thin plots which don't usually necessitate a long-running time and this shows here. At around the 105 minute mark, this film is far too long and the strain starts to show towards the end - it does become repetitive and tedious at times. It's around the 90 minute mark before the police are able to track the gang down and seem to make very little effort to find them at any other time during the feature - the two strands of the film don't seem to mesh well and only really come together in the final few minutes (the finale is both silly and exciting resulting in a mixed reaction from this viewer).I also felt that the direction could have done with being a bit tighter; a more claustrophobic feel to the film would have certainly made it a little bit more intense.As far as performances go then I'm afraid it's not a great story on that front; Bogey fares the best here, but many of his co-stars and rather weak and made very little impression on the picture. His co-conspirators fall into the usual clichés; a large overbearing, clumsy oaf who challenges for leadership and a weak-willed convict who is never sure whose side he wants to be on.As an early example of the genre then this is definitely watchable and is certainly worth watching. However, the scripting issues and far-fetched plot elements do drag it down somewhat making it an OK film, but not the brilliant film that many are suggesting it to be.

knucklebreather In "The Desperate Hours", we have Humphrey Bogart in his second-to-last film as hardened criminal Glenn Griffith, who has escaped from prison with his brother and a brute named Kobish. They happen upon the typical American family, the Hilliards, and invade their home with great brutality for a 1955 film."Man must protect his family" has become a very long-lived genre to this very day, and this movie is a fine entry in it. Fredric March's Dan Hilliard is realistic and even inspiring, in an early scene he explains to his son that he is afraid, and he's not ashamed of it. Through his dialogue and thoughtful acting, we are able to believe in Dan Hilliard as an honest everyman doing the best he can in a difficult situation, which keeps these sorts of movies from become unrealistic flights of fantasy. The pacing is very good, with nary a dull moment as the desperate hours tick by. Bogart's tremendous acting kill any chance of audience boredom, as you see his character's interesting clash between the desperate honest man and the desperate criminal. The soundtrack is almost nonexistent, rare for Hollywood in this era, but it's quite welcome, as it adds to the gritty, desperate feel of the film.This is really a very fine thriller that has stood the test of time. It may not have explosions or death-defying stunts, but the emotional conflict is what these movies are based on, and this movie has it in spades.

jackbenimble I can't really see the point of this film. There doesn't appear to be any reason for its existence. Some criminals take over a house with an annoying family for hostage and from there it goes nowhere at all. You couldn't add any spoilers for this film because there's nothing to spoil. Because nothing actually happens!! The acting is fairly good but it's all wasted really as the poor actors have nothing to work with and just go round and around repeating themselves. So this little 'classic' just spins its wheels for nearly two aptly named desperate hours. Its worth three stars simply because it's a period piece but you spend most of your time looking at the cool cars and the clothes, your mind wandering. Humphrey Bogart does Humphrey Bogart with no surprises at all and although he's enjoyable to watch you just get bored because he's the same in just about every movie you've ever seen him in. I'd pass on this one if I were you.

blanche-2 Frederic March, Martha Scott, Humphrey Bogart and Arthur Kennedy are just a few of the people who endure "The Desperate Hours," a 1955 film, based on the stage play and directed by William Wyler. On Broadway, the play was directed by Robert Montgomery and starred Karl Malden in the Bogart role and Paul Newman played his brother, here played by Dewey Martin. The film also stars Gig Young, Mary Murphy, Richard Eyer, and Robert Middleton.Having just seen Bogart in the 1936 "The Petrified Forest," it was interesting to see him still taking hostages 19 years later - and in fact, looking like he'd spent the last 19 years on the run from the law. He was clearly ill during the making of this film. Though Dewey Martin looked 30 years younger than Bogie, he was in fact only 20, making the fact that they were brothers a tiny bit more plausible.I also had recently seen "The Star Witness," a 1931 Warner Brothers film with a similar plot, which won an Oscar for best original screenplay. By 1955, it wasn't original any longer, but the execution of the story is compelling. Martha Scott is a housewife, Ellie Hilliard, alone in her suburban home when three escaped criminals (Bogart, Martin and Middleton) take over the place. Glenn Griffin (Bogart) wants to murder the Deputy Sheriff (Arthur Kennedy) who put him in prison, and he needs to wait for the delivery of some money to make good his escape. Dan Hilliard (March) and his daughter Cynthia (Murphy) walk into the situation, followed later by the Hilliard's little boy (Eyer). You'll be wondering why the son isn't knocked off - by his parents - given the trouble he causes.The money is delayed, and of course, the police have no idea where the gang is, as Griffin has put his car in the Hilliard garage. So the hours turn into overnight. Although March and Cynthia are allowed to leave the house for work, and Cynthia has to keep a date with her boyfriend (Young), they're too terrified to say anything for fear the mother and boy will be killed. Basically the gang as well and the family become prisoners as the hours drag on.Wyler gives us lots of frightening and suspenseful moments as the tension builds in the house, and he never lets the pace drag. Supposedly he made March and Scott do a goodbye scene for take after take because he thought March was "acting" and wanted to tire him out. An accomplished stage actor of the old school, March consistently had a great presence but didn't always emotionally connect with his characters - he does here. March and Bogart make powerful adversaries, March hitting just the right note as an angry father afraid for his family, but not afraid to talk back to Griffin. Bogart's Griffin is shrewd and admires brains and bravery in others; the family impresses him with their guts.Bogart is marvelous in the role - though tired out, his character is determined to keep the gang together and free; he's resentful of the middle classness of the family and how out of place he and his gang are in a nice home. Unlike his Duke Mantee in "The Petrified Forest", Bogart's Griffin doesn't seem to have a sense of the hopelessness of his situation until the very end; also unlike Duke Mantee, he has a vulnerability that he demonstrates at the end.Robert Middleton gives a scary performance as a witless member of the gang, and Martin, as Hal, displays Hal's disillusionment with the situation, his attraction to Cynthia, and the realization that he can never have someone like her if he continues down his brother's road. Gig Young is somewhat wasted as Cythia's boyfriend - it's unnecessary star casting. Martha Scott does a terrific job as the harried wife and mother. The wonderful Arthur Kennedy gives another good performance as the sheriff determined to catch Griffin.Highly recommended for its suspenseful story, fine direction, and top performances.