One is left to wonder whether Harrison Ford's line in "Air Force One" was inspired by the line Fredric March gives Humphrey Bogart in their first and only pairing on the big-screen. All-though "house" is not nearly the same setting as Ford's "plane" and three escaped convicts wouldn't be a match for Gary Oldman and a dozen terrorists, that is, unless the three are headed by Bogey himself. "The Desperate Hours" was the screen icon's second to last film, his last as a tough-guy, and he still could pack quite a wallop.
"The Desperate Hours" (re-made in a disappointing 1990-version that was all style and no substance) is a taut and brutal thriller that still manages to leave you on the edge of your seat, half a century later. Bogart plays the bad-guy who thinks he is on top of things, until he takes the perfect middle-class suburban family for hostage and finds his plans going haywire and his world slowly unraveling. Fredric March is terrific as his nemesis, the mild-mannered father of the house who is about to get in touch with his darker sides. In the end you can't help feeling sorry for Bogey's character, yet at the same time cheering on justice. Veteran director William Wyler (Dodsworth, Mrs. Miniver, Ben-Hur) deserves all the credit in the world for his work, as does the powerhouse cast that includes the wonderful Arthur Kennedy and the talented likes of Gig Young and Martha Scott. Lesser known Robert Middleton also turns in a performance you will love to hate, as the big brutal oaf 'Kobish'. To top it all of, despite it's age, "The Desperate Hours" is surprisingly cunning and daring when it comes to it's display of violence.
A definitive must-see for any film-buff and, in these CGI times, a great reminder of the fantastic experience it can be to re-discover the classics.
"The Desperate Hours" (re-made in a disappointing 1990-version that was all style and no substance) is a taut and brutal thriller that still manages to leave you on the edge of your seat, half a century later. Bogart plays the bad-guy who thinks he is on top of things, until he takes the perfect middle-class suburban family for hostage and finds his plans going haywire and his world slowly unraveling. Fredric March is terrific as his nemesis, the mild-mannered father of the house who is about to get in touch with his darker sides. In the end you can't help feeling sorry for Bogey's character, yet at the same time cheering on justice. Veteran director William Wyler (Dodsworth, Mrs. Miniver, Ben-Hur) deserves all the credit in the world for his work, as does the powerhouse cast that includes the wonderful Arthur Kennedy and the talented likes of Gig Young and Martha Scott. Lesser known Robert Middleton also turns in a performance you will love to hate, as the big brutal oaf 'Kobish'. To top it all of, despite it's age, "The Desperate Hours" is surprisingly cunning and daring when it comes to it's display of violence.
A definitive must-see for any film-buff and, in these CGI times, a great reminder of the fantastic experience it can be to re-discover the classics.