Best movie of this year hands down!

Highly Overrated But Still Good

The plot isn't so bad, but the pace of storytelling is too slow which makes people bored. Certain moments are so obvious and unnecessary for the main plot. I would've fast-forwarded those moments if it was an online streaming. The ending looks like implying a sequel, not sure if this movie will get one

There are moments that feel comical, some horrific, and some downright inspiring but the tonal shifts hardly matter as the end results come to a film that's perfect for this time.

I haven't read the novel, nor watched the play(I suppose for that, I might need a time-machine; I can see how this would work well at that kind of theater, though), and this is the only thing by Hayes(R.I.P.) that I've watched, so I can draw no comparisons. As far as Wyler(R.I.P.) goes, I have, of course, been taken aback by his thundering epic, Ben-Hur. This man knew how to turn a great story a grand film. And that's exactly what happens here, as well. It all starts an ordinary day, in Safe Suburbia. Suddenly, however, three men enter the house of the Hilliards, and take them hostage. They've escaped from prison, you see. And they need to stay out of sight. Not for long. Just until midnight. Then they'll never see the trio of ex-cons again. The conflict between Bogie(the last time we saw him portray bad guy), who plays tough so well you can hardly believe he took on, and accomplished, charming roles after this, and March positively lights the screen on fire. This is tense from beginning to end. It holds you in a tight grip all the way. The dialog is great, fast, clever, at times funny, and always impeccably delivered, with numerous unforgettable lines. Every character is credible, even if it is clear that the sympathy is extended to the middle-class ones, and no lower. The relationships are completely convincing, with sibling rivalry and a family where, in spite of the censorship of the time, they are individuals and don't do everything perfect or as demanded. Every performance is spot-on, including the kid. There is some sexism in this, but the women also help and aren't talked down to all the time. Early on, there is a little bit of awkward exposition, and while this is mostly rather realistic, there is a lapse or two. Very easy to forgive. There is a lot of disturbing content and occasional violence in this. I recommend this to any fan of thrillers and any of the actors. 8/10

The Desperate Hours: a title and a film suggesting a condition quintessential to existence. This film is essentially about class distinctions and the burdens that accompany each social stratum. Wyler belatedly begins his interest in the common man in this noir-ish thriller, The Desperate Hours. However, Wyler does not completely renounce his previous bourgeois subject; rather, The Desperate Hours interestingly merges both white and blue collar characters in a psychological battle of wills. The two main characters Dan C. Hillard played by Fredric March and Glenn Griffin played by Humphrey Bogart are the presiding representatives of their class. Whereas the characters are introduced as strict representations of good and evil, their interaction with each other creates enough friction to shatter conventional character molds. The hours of desperation begin when Griffin takes refuge at Hillard's house and forces his family under house arrest after escaping from prison. While Griffin and his two other inmate fugitives have found a haven from the police, they provide little refuge only duress for Hillard and his family. However, Griffin's primary goal is not misogyny, rather money for escape. Anxiety begins for the Hillard family when Griffin trespasses upon their house, and thereafter only accentuates for everyone when the money sent by Griffin's girlfriend is impeded. Interestingly Wyler reveals that this kidnapping was not a product of mere fate. Hillard and Griffin acknowledge a past, personal relationship, yet Wyler withholds revealing their history and or the specific crimes committed by Griffin. These omissions of plot details suggest that the film is ultimately about the character struggle between Hillard and Griffin. The environment of desperation first debilitates the father and then the escapee, Griffin. While the father is reduced to submission in his own house, Griffin loses his will to dictate arbitration when his options are limited by an encroaching police force. The Desperate Hours differs from most thrillers by giving the leading man only one scene to demonstrate his emotion strength as protagonist and patriarch. While previous films have blurred emotional desperation with righteousness, few films have expressed the similarities between the good and bad pathos. Each character perceives the other as invasive and proceeds to out-smart the other. While this battle could potentially end peacefully as Bogart first promise, Wyler early on indicates that this battle will only result in tragedy. The threat of capture for Griffin and the desire for escape for March without an obvious end in sight strangles compromise and composure of these characters. Both characters despise each other, yet they reach that conclusion from using differing paths of rationale.Hillard's lucid articulation of hate towards Griffin only further confuses the role of the protagonist. Even without Hillard's misanthropic actions, Griffin seems less villainous than a typical Anthony G. Robinson character. While Griffin kidnapped and threatened the Hillard family, he never physically abused or stole from them. His reasons (albeit which are not expressly stated in the film) for using Hillard's home for a safe house seem justified as if Hillard had unduly betrayed Griffin in the past. Furthermore, Griffin refuses money Hillard attempts to give him as if he considered it bribery. Even when Griffin accepts some money he chivalrously bequeaths it to his fellow inmate brother (Dewey Martin) attempting to make a break-for-it. Unlike the tough-guy roles Bogart played in the past, Griffin is demanding, yet also weak and fearful. Despite these weak character traits, Griffin proudly states the rules of the house and the requisite punishments for violations. Griffin only on one occasion reneges on his word, yet he defends his dishonesty by citing the fallacies and lapses of integrity of his counterpart, the upper-class. Finally, The Desperate Hours uses Humphrey Bogart's star power to confuse the viewer's own moral obligation. The viewer almost has an intuitive response to support Bogart's interest. Besides the later Treasure of Sierra Madre, Bogart had only previous appeared as the tough guy protagonist instead of the antagonist. Bogart's screen familiarity and the lesser-known Fredric March progresses this film into a film-noir direction with the viewer siding with villain, yet Griffin never reaches the anti-hero status of Wilder's Walter Neff in Double Indemnity. In fact, Wyler deviates from typical film-noir tendencies by focusing on the protagonist (family) narrative rather than the prison-escape narrative. The film begins and concludes with the family narrative, while additionally exploring a few more family subplots. Moreover, the film does not glorify or sympathize with the criminal. As previously stated, this film is essentially about class distinction with the criminal representing the lower-class and the family man representing the upper class. However, Wyler does not forward any more insight into the nature of class beyond this simple categorization. The film is littered with remarks about economic subjugation, yet the film does not explore or reveal the past grievances of discrimination against Bogart's character; therefore, one is left without a historical foundation for warranting his exoneration. Without a record of harmful societal discretions against Griffin's class, one is unable to drawl a more present or significant meaning from the conclusion of the movie. Moreover, the film does not deviate from Hollywood interpretations of society- i.e. good versus evil with good prevailing in the end. Without a prior narrative to support the characters' motivations, the actors compensate the truthfulness with their performance. The film ultimately proves to be a classic story about family values and the role of the patriarch. Nevertheless, whereas the film fails to provide the audience with a more connotative meaning, the film does deliver good performances. The Desperate Hours through Wyler's direction may be perceived as a film concerned with more than just patriarchal society. Since the film revolves mostly around the characters, the film eventually becomes about the solidification of family ties not class distinctions. Ultimately the film chronicles the two main characters' ability to cope within a stressful environment. Eventually, this controlled experiment ends and yields to the pressures of the outside environment.

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.

The novel begins "Out of the fog they came..". Indeed. I remember this movie as being just a terrifically suspenseful ride, from the opening POV shot canvassing the neighborhood for a suitable hideout to the final clash between the two family "heads" over the son's fear and trust. As with any good psychological tale there is a lot here for everyone. What struck me particularly was the mirroring of the two families - one normal with all the right balances (male-female especially) and one totally perverse. One can view the Bogart-March pair as the family patriarchs and the Kobish-Ralphie pair as their respective sons. In fact, Kobish is basically a future Ralphie, should his rebelliousness remain unchecked (read whatever Oedipal theme you wish here). Thus it is entirely consistent that the climactic struggle center around the two patriarchs' power over the son Ralphie. And that at the very center of the struggle should be a gun, well, it doesn't get more Freudian, does it? Plus all sorts of neat tensions and characters. How about the FBI/police as the Superego, trying to resolve the Id(Bogart)-Ego(March) clash it sees from afar? Like I said, there is something here for everyone!