In Beirut sind die Nächte lang

The reason to watch this film is for the exotic location as it was back then in the 1960s - hip, jet-set Beirut that benefited from an influx of wealth at the time. There is no sympathy for the major character who is it trouble. Hardly spoiling anything to say that you know from the outset that things aren't as he says - there's little suspense and also little sympathy. Actually Rooney is excellent at playing an annoying little creep - it was apparently his true character.

Great shots, interesting for the cars, the geography, but terrible acting largely and plastic characters.

Don't get me wrong - I'd still watch it, but don't expect much more.

Despite the exotic location, tried-and-tested leading actor and bevy of beautiful European actresses, 24 HOURS TO KILL is a real chore to sit through. It's a spy thriller produced on the cheap by Harry Alan Towers, shot in Beirut when it was still considered an exotic holiday destination (although that perception was to change, somewhat considerably, in the 1980s!).

The main actor is former Tarzan Lex Barker, who appears as a pilot whose holiday is cut short when he becomes involved in a conspiracy storyline involving fellow crew member Mickey Rooney. What follows is a slightly Bond-style with lots of location photography, glamorous women appearing in bikinis, and a handful of fist fights to keep things rolling along. Unfortunately it's all rather stately, slow, and uninvolving, with little to recommend it other than the scenery. It's one of those films you end up forgetting about just five minutes after watching.

An international co-production from the ubiquitous Harry Alan Towers, 24 HOURS TO KILL stars Lex Barker as an airline pilot whose plane, bound for Athens, has engine trouble and is forced to land in Beirut. The mechanics tell him they can have the plane repaired and ready to fly in 24 hours--the 24 hours "to kill" of the title. Mickey Rooney plays a member of the flight crew who, upon landing, is watched and followed by a number of people...and who acts quite suspiciously himself. The question of why Rooney is being followed and what he has done in the past to explain his being followed provides the suspense in the film. The script does not give the always-excellent Barker much particularity of character--he basically has to look handsome and act authoritative. His attitude toward the Rooney character changes throughout the film, and he is entangled in a relationship with a female member of the crew, so there are a few elements in the script that give the character some depth, but not enough. Mickey Rooney is given a far meatier role. Rooney is perfect as "Jonesy", affable on the surface, but complex underneath and with a BIG chip on his shoulder. There's not a lot of action in the film, and the few fight scenes are--as usual for Harry Alan Towers productions--unconvincingly staged. Although made in English, the film has the feel of any number of continental co-productions and an international cast. The ending can be viewed as either ironic or unsatisfying, but it certainly wasn't what I expected! There are a few interesting middle-eastern-looking shots that could either be location shooting or sleight-of-hand involving stock footage, but in any event the film does have a distinct middle-eastern flavor that keeps it from being generic or run of the mill. Overall, this is an entertaining b-movie worth watching for fans of Lex Barker (one of his last English-language starring roles) and for a colorful character role by Mickey Rooney (see PULP with Michael Caine sometime for another fine Rooney performance). If you have two free hours and want a standard-issue dose of b-movie international intrigue, it's worthwhile, but nothing worth seeking out.

"Twenty four hours to kill" is set in 1965 Beirut at a time when that city perhaps deserved its soubriquet 'The Playground of the Middle East'. Needless to say, today's Beirut has a quite a different international reputation. It is interesting to see the Beirut of nearly 50 years ago in this movie when the French influence on the city was still evident. Other than that, there is little in this film that will hold the interest of the viewer. Lex Barker is somewhat impressive in the lead role and delivers his lines well, but Mickey Rooney adds nothing to this film. Austria-born Walter Slezak plays the villain, but it is not clear whether he is a Fez-cap wearing Turk living in Beirut, or an Arab who was bestowed with a Fez cap by the film's director who thought that every Arab wore one. Of course, in the 1960s, westerners thought Turks and Arabs to be equally exotic and interchangeable. Despite its Middle Eastern setting, local Lebanese are not much in evidence, in this flick. Instead, we have transplanted Westerners dealing with Walter's Slezak's Malouf. Yet, that is not enough to hold the viewer's interest.

A passenger plane is forced to make an emergency landing in Beirut. The plane needs 24 hours to make repair. Norman Jones (Mickey Rooney) gets entangled with a murderous smuggling ring.

The movie is a bit of a mess. The directing is weak. The opening landing should be a lot more exciting. I guess the lady screaming into the cockpit is suppose to be that. I don't like Norman and I don't really care about his predicament. The only truly compelling aspect is seeing this city, this culture, and this country before it gets destroyed by the civil war. Maybe it serves as a reminder of the time and place.