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A lot of loopy comments out there about this one. "Predictable" is a very over-used adjective that I've certainly been guilty of myself, but what exactly is supposed to happen in a hostage-taking, domestic thriller like this? Are aliens supposed to land in the Hilliards' back yard and vaporize everyone? Is Bogart's escaped con supposed to dress up in drag at some point and decide he wants to become a chorus girl? Would that satisfy those who find this movie predictable?

"The Desperate Hours" keeps you on the edge of your seat; it more than passes the test as a thriller and it most certainly has not mellowed over time. The script is fine, intelligently examining how the respectably middle class but somewhat complacent father (Frederic March) draws strength and courage from the love of his wife and kids in handling the ordeal. Though each family member is formulating their own strategy for how best to resolve the crisis (their brains are always going "clickity-clickity-click" as Bogart mockingly keeps reminding them) they recognize March as the father and as such the captain of the ship. They look to him for leadership and he responds. It's telling that when the young son disobediently puts his ill-conceived plan into action, it undermines the father's nearly successful tactic. Though he had earlier suspected his dad of being cowardly for not taking a more aggressive stance, from this point on he begins to appreciate all the variables he must take into account and looks up to him once more. The idealized, but by no means wildly unrealistic domestic situation reflects the mood of the time. Why on earth would it possibly reflect cynically 90's attitudes and sensibilities, as some reviewers seem to desire?

There are casting decisions pertaining to age differences which raise an eyebrow, but do not seriously detract from William Wyler's (as masterful and dependable a director as Hollywood has ever cranked out) otherwise polished production. At 42 of course, Gig Young seems a tad old for the family's 19 year old daughter (beautiful Mary Murphy) but he's still youthful enough looking and he puts an interesting spin on what is usually the thankless role of the boyfriend who stumbles into things. One of the beauties of B&W photography is that it can always be used to make actors look as many as 5-15 years younger than they are. This comes into play with Bogart's character as well, as he's asked to be the older brother of 32 year old Dewey Martin, and it's something that I didn't have too hard a time buying. It's difficult to believe this was one of his last films, as he seems quite vigorous and robust in the part.

Tense, exciting, well-acted and directed; this is indisputably far superior to Michael Cimino's bloody and botched 1990 Mickey Rourke "star" vehicle remake.

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 DESPERATE HOURS

Aspect ratio: 1.85:1 (VistaVision)

Sound format: Mono

(Black and white)

The patriarch of a middle-class suburban family (Fredric March) is forced to take action when they're held hostage in their own home by three escaped convicts, one of whom (Humphrey Bogart) is an experienced lifer with nothing to lose...

The first and only pairing of superstars Bogart and March is a tightly-wound thriller, written by Joseph Hayes (based on his novel and stageplay, inspired by actual events), and directed by Hollywood veteran William Wyler, distancing himself from the 'women's pictures' he had helped to popularize during the 1940's (THE LITTLE FOXES, MRS. MINIVER, THE HEIRESS etc.). Photographed in gleaming deep-focus VistaVision by Lee Garmes (SCARFACE, THE PARADINE CASE), the movie wrings incredible tension from the claustrophobic settings and frequent stand-offs between staunch family man March and embittered con Bogart. The movie's themes are fairly conservative and the outcome is never really in doubt, but this is a top-drawer thriller from Hollywood's 'golden age'. Also starring Arthur Kennedy, Martha Scott, Dewey Martin and Gig Young in crucial supporting roles. Unmissable.

NB. Though nowhere near as dreadful as most critics would have you believe, Michael Cimino's remake DESPERATE HOURS (1990) isn't a patch on the original.

These are the times when danger looks us in the face, when terror, torment, tyranny lends an embrace, as all we cherish and endear, goes toe to toe with every fear, and the world that was secure, falls out of place. When every movement of the clock is an attack, facades of life engraved with fractures, widened cracks - tremors, trembles, quaking dread, in not too long, you might be dead, as the desperation reaches, a climax.

It's of its time but it does still stand up to be counted all these years later, with superb performances throughout, especially HB, who as an actor matured with magnificence in the latter years of his movie making career.

Superb film regarding Fred March, Martha Scott as a married couple who are held hostage by Humphrey Bogart and his motley crew along with the couple's children.

The tension is so thick and is beautifully realized by director William Wyler.

This is a story of inner-strength held by March and yet how his acts to protect his family could be seen as cowardice by his young son.

Both March and Bogart are at the top of their game performance wise in this excellent film.

The film is aided by a wonderful supporting cast including Arthur Kennedy as a detective, Dewey Martin as Bogart's younger brother and several others. Gig Young plays the suitor to March's daughter. He feels that March doesn't like him and of course this is added on by the hostage situation.

We see how detrimental being held hostage can be by what it does to the normally mild-mannered March. Just view his hostile actions towards his secretary. (Helen Kleeb)

While we may know how the film will turn out, we can still applaud and wait with great anticipation for its wonderful climax. This was Hollywood at its best in film making.

Humphrey Bogart got his first real notice on the silver screen in The Petrified Forest, repeating a role he did on Broadway. As Duke Mantee, criminal on the run, he held the occupants of a diner hostage for several hours.

Here in The Desperate Hours, Bogey takes over a role that Paul Newman originated on Broadway. Bogart, Dewey Martin and Robert Middleton play three escaped convicts who drive to Indianapolis because Bogart wants to kill the officer that arrested him. Dewey Martin is Bogart's younger brother and Robert Middleton is their brutal partner in the escape.

Given the age difference between Bogart and Paul Newman, I'm sure the role of Glenn Griffin was played quite differently by Newman on stage. Similarly Karl Malden played Dan Hilliard on stage and Fredric March plays him for the screen. March is no hero here, he's just an ordinary family man trapped with his family in a terrible situation.

Rounding out the Hilliard family is wife Martha Scott, daughter Mary Murphy and son Richard Eyer. Martha Scott had appeared with March before as his wife in One Foot in Heaven. She does well here also, but I do wonder where the real Mrs. March was, Florence Eldridge. It seems like a good joint project for both of them.

The Desperate Hours is a good suspenseful thriller that will keep you glued to your seat. These are real people here, not some Hollywood type situation comedy family. You will care about what the eventual outcome will be.

Bogie had done films like this one before: The Petrified Forest (1936), High Sierra (1941), Key Largo (1948) and We're No Angels (1955) – all with Bogie as a gangster or victim of a gangster, in a desperate setting (although the last one is a comedic spoof). Desperate Hours, however, is different – this time out, Bogie (as Glen Griffin) has a whole suburban family as hostage as he tries to complete his run for freedom from the law. Is this the first such home invasion type movie? Perhaps Suddenly (1954)?

The story is simply superb. Every good narrative succeeds because of certain literary aspects: a believable story line, down-to-earth dialog that supports it, a good measure of irony at appropriate turning points, just the right amount of coincidence that can intrude on anybody's daily experience, a dogged police officer who just won't give up in the search for what he believes, and a family – an ordinary family – that finds within itself the courage, imagination, and strength to persevere in the face of the real threat of death.

I saw this film long ago when just a lad, so I didn't recall much of the story at all. But, being a Bogie fan, I looked forward to seeing it again when I got a hold of a DVD recently. I don't recall what movies were in the running for the Oscars that year, but I think this should have been a contender (apparently, it wasn't).

The cast was well chosen. Bogie, of course, was "made" for this part, having done so many like it in the past – and that's not a side-swipe at typecasting; Robert Middleton almost steals the movie with his portrayal of the psychopathic Kobish -- a chilling portrayal; Dewey Martin as Bogie's brother, Hal, provides a sense of decency that the other two lack, the only jarring note for me: why should he? He's on the run, and drops all pretense of humanity when he decides to cut and run by himself. And, we know what happens to anybody who cuts and runs, right? Frederic March as Dan Hilliard ably shows what can happen to your principles and behavior when lives are at stake: most of life's niceties go out the window as he tries to save his family. Understandable, given the desperate situation. Martha Scott as his wife and Mary Murphy as his daughter (Cindy) are suitably frightened most of the time, but they also summon the courage to oppose the bad guys when possible. The guy who isn't used so much is Arthur Kennedy as deputy sheriff Bard, but his role is pivotal in bringing the story to a satisfactory ending. Pity, because Kennedy was as fine an actor as Bogie or March. Gig Young, as Cindy's suitor, rounds out the main cast – he playing the puzzled hopeful who just won't go away when Cindy pleads with him to "stay away". It's just as well that he didn't...

The setting in small town America is just right, the picture perfect home of the Hilliards standing for the American dream that is about to threatened and even destroyed. Which gives rise to one of the best lines in cinema history, spoken by March near the end: "Get out – get out of my house!" he nearly screams at Bogie, thus cementing forever in film the idea of a man's home as his castle. Bogie visibly wilts before the stern and righteous wrath of March – but not only because of that does Bogie give it all up. You'll have to see the film to understand why.

Most of the action is within the confines of the Hilliard house (having been a stage play first, that makes sense) and the cinematography takes full advantage of all those nooks and crannies to enthrall the viewer and keep the suspense running. I liked particularly the reasonably long take of the camera behind the bad guys while they watch the old trash collector do his work and who seems to miss the presence of their stolen car in the garage. It's a priceless piece of work as the escapees faces keep looking at each other and then at the old man – and the viewer stays on edge, all the time, wondering: will he react?

The final showdown is simply a tour de force. It's fast and furious, ranging all through the ground floor, up the stairs and into the bedrooms, and then back again, as the protagonists fight it out for supremacy; I was reminded of Dustin Hoffman's running fight with the bad guys in Straw Dogs (1971). In the hands of an inept director, it would have been farcical but Wyler turns on the suspense and the irony as March overcomes his adversary – Bogie – in one of the coolest ways imaginable. No, I won't tell you, because that would spoil it for you.

As the credits rolled by at the end, my immediate thought was that this type of story is so believable, it could happen to me, or you...

It deals with three escaped convicts , on the run from the law, move into a married couple's house and takes over their lives. As a Psychotic criminal, Glen Griffin's about to go on trial escapes from his pursuers . As a trio (Humphrey Bogart , Dewey Martin , Robert Middleton) try to make their getaway . They hide out at the house of a good family, the Hilliard formed by the uprighter father (Fredric March) , mother (Martha Scott) , the teen daughter (Mary Murphy) and a little boy (Richard Eyer). Now it appears the Hilliards have problems of their own. A reign of violence sweeps the screen.The First Picture in Black and White VistaVision. At the height of fear every moment is a desperate hour.Glen Griffin is looking for a place to call home... Just for a few hours.Who is stronger? A psychopath who feeds on terror? Or a father driven by fear? Only time will tell.Desire is the deadliest weapon of all.

A nice thriller based on a ful play and the result is a taut , suspenseful , twisted movie , made with a wonderful cast and all the expertise and power at Wiliiam Wyler's command . Joseph Hayes, the source novelist and playwright of the 1954 novel and 1955 play, also wrote the screenplay for Horas desesperadas (1955), and also co-wrote the script for this version.The source stage play was a box-office smash hit on Broadway, and won Tony Awards for Best Play and Best Direction for Robert Montgomery. The original Broadway production of "The Desperate Hours", written by Joseph Hayes opened on February 10, 1955, at the Ethel Barrymore Theater, where it ran for two hundred twelve performances until August 13, 1955. The play had previously opened in New Haven's Shubert Theatre in 1955, before re-launching on Broadway in August 1955. This classic The desperate hours (1955) had an inferior remake being released thirty-five years later in 1990 directed by Michael Cimino with Michael Rourke , Anthony Hopkins , Mimi Rogers , Kelly Lynch , Shawnee Smith . This movie was the third English language version of the story, being released twenty-three years after the television movie version , though the latter was critically poorly received and was a commercial failure at the box-office; however the vintage Bogart rendition received awesome critics.

The motion picture was compellingly directed by the maestro William Wyler . Wyler was considered by his peers as second only to John Ford as a master craftsman of cinema and the winner of three Best Director Academy Awards . Wyler was a great professional who had a career full of successes in all kind of genres as Film Noir : ¨Detective story¨ , ¨The desperate hours¨ , ¨Dead End¨ ; Western : ¨The Westener¨, ¨Friendly persuasion¨ , ¨Big Country¨ , but his speciality were dramas as : ¨Jezebel¨ , ¨The letter¨ , ¨Wuthering Heights¨ , ¨The best years of our lives¨, ¨Mrs Miniver¨, ¨The heiress¨ , ¨the little Foxes¨ , ¨The collector¨ and Comedy as two films starred by Audrey Hepburn : ¨How to steal a million¨ and of course ¨Roman's holiday¨ with Audrey at her Oscar-winning best and immortal comedy-romance. This ¨Desperate hours has a rating 7.5/10, better than average , well worth watching .

The original THE DESPERATE HOURS is one of the best true suspense films that were ever made. The incident happened in upstate New York in 1953, when three escaped convicts invaded a private home, and then terrorized the family until they were captured and killed by the police. In fact, the story became a successful Broadway play that this film is based on (the family in the original incident brought an unsuccessful lawsuit against the dramatist for invasion of privacy).

Humphrey Bogart, his brother Dewey Martin, and that marvelous villain Robert Middleton play the three convicts, who having escaped prison take the Hilliard prisoners. Bogart is awaiting his girlfriend who is supposed to bring money and a car for their total getaway. In the meantime Bogart is doing his best to make the Hilliards as unhappy as possible. Not too difficult, as Martha Scott, Mary Murphy, and Richard Eyer are facing three thugs who are armed. And Fredric March is the family head, frightened at the most hideous prospect possible (his family being wiped out), but struggling to maintain his courage but also his head - he hates Bogart but must not do anything that will antagonize him. Bogart fully returns the dislike. A poor guy all his life, he turned to crime to make a living. When the younger and softer Martin tries to speak out for March/Hilliard, Bogart snarls out, "And what did the Hilliards ever do for you?" In truth not much, which is what this particular Hilliard is paying for now. After awhile, watching March's careful thinking of what to do, Bogart starts taunting him as though he's a machine he sees through - saying the line in the "Subject line" above.

There are several problems that gradually increase the tensions: 1) Richard Eyer is brave as a little kid who does not understand that guns can kill. He thinks his father is the bravest man in the world, and cannot understand why he doesn't take on and destroy the bad guys.

2) The family has to maintain the aura of normality - Bogart and Murphy have to go out to their jobs and act without stirring any notice. Hard in normal situations, it is driving Murphy to insanity because she can't talk to her boyfriend, Gig Young. And Young is beginning to wonder why.

3) If the surface is to look normal, you have to keep anything unusual hidden. The original getaway car is in the Hilliard garage (now closed). But the local garbage man (Walter Baldwin) finds it accidentally - leading to an ugly tragedy.

4) Bogart and Martin are brothers, but Martin is attracted to a normal life, not one of violence. He may eventually want not to stick to Bogart.

5) Middleton came along, but he really is not trusted by Bogart - and he has a weapon of his own.

6) Bogart's plans include killing the officer who sent him to prison, Arthur Kennedy. Kennedy and the state police are coordinating the entire search, and keeping a tight lid on top of the escaped prisoners (making their temporary safety more claustrophobic).

All of these elements build the pressure up and up and up until the last twenty minutes. The results are quite explosive and impressive, and memorable. This was Bogart's last film as a bad guy, and he made the most of it. It was also his only film with Fredric March, and the tension in their scenes together grows until it shatters at the conclusion. Martha Scott, Gig Young (whose character's independent actions throws the convicts' plans out of wack), Middleton (quite chilling), and Kennedy give first rate performances. Martin's performance is also good, and ultimately tragic. No lover of suspense films will be disappointed by THE DESPERATE HOURS.

Few actors can play a gangster like Humphrey Bogart and few actors can play a decent family man like Fredric March. Both combine to give excellent performances in this thriller that explores three desperate men invading an upper middle class home after escaping from prison. William Wyler sees to it that his audience feels confined as most all the scenes are within the home. It builds to a dramatic conclusion that might not be what you expect but non-the-less believable. You feel empathy for Bogarts character and for that of his brother but ,even so, you will be rooting for the family to survive. An excellent cast adds a lot to this film. There are a few overly dramatic moments, however, they are brief.Desperate Hours will entertain you and keep you guessing. Try and see it!

The adaptation to the screen of Joseph Hayes' play by Mr. Hayes, himself, is given an excellent treatment by William Wyler, one of the great film directors of all times. The play was claustrophobic; there is little to be done in opening it and at times it feels as though we are in the theater watching the drama unfolds. Instead of detracting from it, this atmosphere contributes to the drama we are watching.

This film juxtaposes good and evil. We have the Hilliard household, which could be the set from anyone of the sitcoms of late 50s TV. There is the father figure, the decent Dan who is happily married to Eleonor and they have two children that seem to be their pride and joy.

Into this house a trio of escaped convicts arrive; they are ruthless. Led by Glenn Griffin, these desperate men bring panic to the Hilliards, who become paralyzed by the harm they might encounter at the hands of the criminals.

This film is a tribute to the great acting of Humphrey Bogart and Frederick March. Their characters are well defined and both actors play extremely well together. Mr. March was an accomplished actor of both the theater and the screen. Mr. Bogart holds his own against his co-star in a show of wills, unrivaled in any of the films of the 50s.

The cast assembled was first rate. Under Wyler's direction they give detailed performances. Martha Scott, Arthur Kennedy, Gig Young, Dewey Martin, among others, shine in this movie.

Dan Hilliard and his family are perfect Americans, corresponding admirably to the bourgeois ideal. The two children are bright, good-looking and obedient. Cindy is about 20 and is going steady with an attorney who owns a sports car. Ralphy is eight or so, all plaid shirts, jeans and attitude. He has a baseball mitt and a bicycle. Ellie, Dan's wife, runs their spotless home with quiet efficiency. Everything is in its place. Trash collectors call at fixed times. Breakfast is a serene family ritual. The Hilliards' home life is as balanced, as regular and as dull as the barometer on the wall. As for Dan Hillier himself, he has attained that mythic status to which all 1950's bourgeois males aspired - he is an executive. The middle classes don't want adventure in their lives, they want predictability. And this is the perfect, dream-like state in which the Hilliards pass their anodyne existence, secure in their suburban womb - until the American Nightmare is unleashed upon them.

What if members of The Underclass, with their dirty, unshaven physicality and their sagging, torn clothes should irrupt into the suburbs? What if, by some catastrophic failure, the police and the prison service can't keep The Underclass in its designated containers? How will nice folks like the Hilliards cope if confronted by these alien beings?

There has been a jailbreak. The citizens of Indianapolis have been warned to watch out for three desperadoes - the two Griffin brothers and their accomplice Kobish. Little do the Hilliards realise as they go about their tranquil suburban lives, but the fugitives are about to choose the Hilliard home as a place to hole up ...

Like "Suddenly", made a year earlier, this is a 'bad guys invaded my home' movie. The downside of bourgeois affluence is the fear that the disenfranchised masses will come to take away your goodies.

Humphrey Bogart was in his late 50's and clearly ailing when he played the part of Glenn Griffin, the leader of the fugitive trio. He would make only two more films in the short time that was left to him. Dewey Martin, 26 years his junior, plays his kid brother Hal.

More than anything, "The Desperate Hours" is a film about social class. "You can't play ball with savages like that," opines a Madison County detective. Glenn holds his social superiors in equal contempt, calling them "smart-eyed respectable suckers". He warns Hal not to expect any favours from the class enemy: "Guys like Hilliard ever give you a fair shake?" Much play is made of linguistic markers which separate the educated from the rest ('whom' instead of 'who'), and contrasts in table manners between the refined Hilliards and their thuggish captors. Glenn lashes out against the tea tray, that emblem of middle-class gentility, and the virginal Cindy, whom he urges Hal to 'take'.

Dire though the Hilliards' predicament may be, they are not alone. They are exactly the kind of people the forces of law and order exist to protect and serve, and it is not long before Madison County's finest and the FBI are closing in on the fugitives. And the cops have science on their side. They can tap the phone of Glenn's girlfriend in Pittsburgh, and tail her across America as she heads for the rendezvous. In the police station, the humming wires never rest as technology narrows down the bad guys' options.

Middle-class sensibility is all-pervasive. Chuck and Cindy argue near the sports car, but break off abruptly when two people pass by. No matter how deeply the emotions may run, it isn't seemly to fight in front of the neighbours. Dan's secretary can tell, from nuances of his behaviour, that something is very wrong. Similarly, the trashman senses that things are amiss with Ellie by the quality of her chat. We see Cindy admiring her curves in front of the hallway mirror, because it is important that she be sexually desirable (so that the fugitives will regard her as a chattle). Chuck, however, has to remain sexually thwarted, because his behaviour is bound by rigid bourgeois restrictions. We see him raise the arm-rest in his sports car in the hope of a grappling session with Cindy, then lowering it dejectedly when he realises that his luck is out. Dan's wave to Chuck to cross the threshold is a symbolic acceptance of him as a son-in-law. He has made it into The Family.

Light represents goodness. Cindy comes home after another chaste date with Chuck and is bathed in bright light on the doorstep. Dan and Ellie declare their love for each other, their bodies lit intensely in an otherwise black bedroom. The searchlights of the police, and the bad guys' vain attempts to eradicate them, show us figuratively what we yearn to see - that good will always triumph over social disruption.

The overpowering of Ellie, the smashing of Ralphy's toy plane and the collapse of Cindy all happen on the same spot and are all filmed from the same low angle. These dramatic incidents show the Hilliards at bay, and the unusual vantage-point stresses the 'wrongness' of what is happening.

Implausibilities abound throughout the movie. How likely is it that the front door would be left unlocked, that Chuck would reach the house ahead of the cops, or that Dan would insist on carrying a gun, then empty its clip? Why would he hesitate to call the police in, once he got the upper hand? Why would everyone leave the family unattended, moments after the conclusion of a violent and dramatic siege?

And yet it works. Glenn's love of his brother breaks through his tough-guy facade, and after he gives his guns away he undergoes a tragic 'King Lear' moment of self-realisation. These are powerful moments in a powerful film.

Joseph Hayes crafted a solid screenplay from his stage hit of the same name, and was rewarded with a high powered production company.

Heading the ensemble was Director William Wyler, at his best, and Lee Garmes behind the camera. Noted composer Gail Kubik contributed an effective score, and the cast was stellar, with Fredric March, Humphrey Bogart, Martha Scott in the leading roles.

The transfer from stage to screen was effectively handled, and the entire execution had a very clean, concise look. So tight was every shot that one might suspect the production was "story-boarded." The final climax managed to build up quite a bit of suspense, and the over all effect of the film was engrossing story telling.

Daniel and Ellie Hilliard and their two children, teenage Cindy and nine-year-old Ralph, seem like the perfect all-American family, living the American Dream in an upmarket middle-class suburb of Indianapolis. It is, of course, a standard cinematic cliché that bourgeois comfort goes before a fall, and so it proves here. The Hilliards are subjected to a home invasion by three escaped convicts, brothers Glenn and Hal Griffin and the slow-witted and thuggish Simon Kobish, and are held hostage. They never inform the police, although they have opportunities to do so, because they are terrified of what the convicts might do to the other family members. (With justification- the crooks show how ruthless they can be when they murder the garbage collector, who they suspect has stumbled om the truth). The police, however, eventually discover where the convicts are hiding.

"Directed by William Wyler" and "starring Humphrey Bogart" are normally two good reasons for me to watch any movie. Bogart, appearing in his penultimate film before his tragically early death- his last was to be "The Harder They Fall"- is certainly good. He plays Glenn Griffin, the oldest of the three convicts, and the one who acts as their leader. He is an intelligent man and there is something about Bogart's performance that suggests that under different circumstances he could have made more of his life, but under the circumstances in which he actually finds himself he is trapped by self-pity and a refusal to take responsibility for his actions. He displays a particular animosity towards the blameless Daniel Hilliard whom he sees as a typical representative of the middle classes he despises, but fails to see that the true reason for his predicament is his own criminality rather than his working-class background.

The role of Glenn- originally a much younger man- had been created by Paul Newman in the Broadway stage play on which the film was based, but the producers wanted a big Hollywood star in the role, and in 1955 Newman did not count as such. He had at this date only made one feature film, "The Silver Chalice", and that was a notorious flop.

"The Desperate Hours", however, is not as good as I had hoped it would be. It is reasonably well directed and acted; besides Bogart, Fredric March is also good as the distressed paterfamilias Daniel. The problem lies with the script and the story. There are too many plot-holes or unexplained developments. In fact, it is never really explained why the convicts break into the Hilliards' home in the first place. We are informed that they are waiting for Griffin's girlfriend to send money to them, but we are not informed why they needed to break into a house for this purpose or what they intend to do once they have got the money. Could they not have arranged a rendezvous in some place where they would be at less risk of drawing attention to themselves, and if they needed a building to shelter in, would not an unoccupied one have been safer? And why did the Griffin brothers choose someone as stupid and unpredictably violent as Kobish as their accomplice?

Another plot hole is that the three convicts, on number of occasions, allow one or more of their hostages to leave the building- Daniel so that he can go to work, Cindy so that she can keep a date with her boyfriend, and so on. Admittedly, they always make sure that they have one family member as a hostage, but could they really afford to take the chance that the person allowed to leave might take the opportunity to alert the police?

And so on. The film is supposed to be a thriller, but I watch thrillers to be thrilled, not to be distracted by unnecessary weaknesses in the plot. 6/10, which would have been lower without Bogart's contribution.

"The Desperate Hours" first introduces a typical 1950s nuclear family before their home is invaded by three gangsters hiding from the police. From there the film chronicles the tensions in the invaded home and the police search to find the gangsters.

Humphrey Bogart reprises his role as "tough guy" with his usual skill as the leader of the gangsters. Federic March's talents aren't on display as often as the father of the family, but his performance near the end talking to the sheriff and entering the house was excellent. Robert Middleton developed an interesting character in the feebleminded and boorish Sam Kobish and the supporting performances are fine as well.

This film does have some moments of tension and it is effective in developing a sense of paranoia amongst the gangsters near the end. The story on the whole is nothing profound, though, and makes this a less than interesting crime thriller. However, the ending is very well-developed with tension and the final moments with Bogart and March were gripping. Personally I found "The Petrified Forest" (1936) to be a much more interesting iteration of the "hostage situation" style of film with Bogart as a gangster.

Bogie starring in one of his last films plays a heartless villain on the run with his younger brother after breaking out of a local prison. They take a family hostage in their own home while they plan their getaway ....striking terror and fear into their hearts. The acting by all the players is brilliant...Bogie particularly excelling in his role as an ageing con with nothing to lose showing his hatred for all middle class American family values. Fredirc March plays the father who stands up to Bogart to protect his family from the callous murderers trying at every turn to outwit and out-think him as the Desperate hours tick away with nail biting consequences. A gem of a film !