Alicia I love this movie so much

Titreenp SERIOUSLY. This is what the crap Hollywood still puts out?

Portia Hilton Blistering performances.

Mehdi Hoffman There's a more than satisfactory amount of boom-boom in the movie's trim running time.

utgard14 Trio of escaped convicts, led by Humphrey Bogart, take Fredric March and his family hostage in their own home. A well-acted thriller directed by William Wyler that, unfortunately, doesn't have as much edge as it should. This doesn't even seem particularly gritty by 1955 standards and it's certainly tame in comparison to the decades of far more brutal home invasion movies. It is interesting and the cast does a good job for the most part, but it's lacking that extra something to give it the proper amount of tension it needs. I didn't even find these guys all that menacing. Plus the characters do things that just seem to make no sense other than to keep the plot going in the way the writer needs it to. It's certainly not a bad movie, and I would probably watch Bogart and March read the phone book, but I just can't help but feel that this doesn't quite click. At least for me. I really think it would have been much better if it had more of a film noir style and edge to it. As it is, it has no visual style at all and the only menace comes from threats and tough guy talk.

Brenda Carson We were all rooting for Mr Hilliard and his family. A group of friends in 2014 crowded round a TV hoping 'desperately' that Mr Hilliard in 1953 could save himself and his family from the filthy and murderous criminals who had invaded their lovely sanctuary of a home. What made this such a fantastically gripping and emotional tale? The cast, the story, the cinematography? Or our modern, 'desperate' need for decency to prevail ? Yes, as we are nightly beleaguered by tales of international atrocities we must believe that the ordinary, decent (American and by extension 'civilised') family can always prevail against the forces of evil criminality. A fabulous film, totally gripping. A glimpse into awfulness redeemed by decency and courage. We love Mr. Hilliard!

jpdoherty One of the last of the great film noirs came in 1955 in the shape of THE DESPERATE HOURS. Although it was filmed in Paramount's own widescreen process of Vista Vision it at once established itself and maintained its arresting noir look through its stylish use of black and white cinematography - courtesy of the great Lee Garmes - and masterful direction of William Wyler. Adapted by Joseph Hayes from his novel and play the picture also boasts a terrific cast headed by Humphrey Bogart, Fredric March and Arthur Kennedy. With a nod to his Duke Mantee in "The Petrified Forest" (1936) Bogart, in his next to last film, is superb in the kind of role he knew so well, that of the hard boiled criminal.Three escaped and armed convicts, led by notorious Glenn Griffin (Bogart), take over a house in middle class suburbia and hold the Hilliard family at gunpoint until the mail arrives the following day containing their getaway money. In the meantime the terrorized family must carry on with their everyday routine without arousing anyone's suspicions. With the police hotly on the gang's trail and closing in - the family little by little - begin to make attempts to outwit their unwelcome guests, gain the upper hand and thwart their plans. After two of the convicts are shot dead by the police the picture ends in a stunning sequence with the husband (March) confronting and fooling Griffin with an empty gun before the police marksmen, under huge arc lights, gun him down in a hail of gunfire in Hilliard's own front lawn.Thanks to Wyler's adroit direction, his genius for camera angles and set-ups, brilliant crisp cinematography and great performances THE DESPERATE HOURS is more than a neat little thriller. Suspense is maintained throughout at a very high level. Wyler's film proceeds with commendable energy and intensity. Mesmerizing is Bogart as the unshaven dishevelled sneering and dangerous leader of the three fugitives. His Glenn Griffin is one of his great and most underrated performances and should have at least earned him a nomination. Excellent too is the wonderful Fredric March as the beleaguered husband and father Dan Hilliard (Spencer Tracy was originally slated to play this part but neither he nor Bogart would accept second billing). Also good is Martha Scott (Judah Ben Hur's mother in Wyler's 1959 epic) as the wife and mother, the likable and ill-fated Gig Young as the boyfriend of Hilliard's daughter (played by pretty Mary Murphy). And there's an extraordinary performance from the rotund Robert Middleton as Kobish the violent, unscrupulous and giggling puerile convict.One disappointing aspect of the picture though is the sparse music score by composer Gail Kubik! There is an impressive raw pounding theme over the titles but no more music is heard then until towards the end of the picture. Kubik, a noted conductor, violinist and teacher was more akin to scoring shorts and documentaries and had scored only one other feature "C-Man" in 1949. It is quite extraordinary that Wyler didn't use a more established movie composer. He had always made great use of music in his films i.e. Max Steiner for "Jezebel" (1938), Alfred Newman for "Wuthering Heights" (1939), Hugo Friedhofer for "Best Years Of Our Lives" (1946) and of course later with Jerome Moross for "The Big Country" (1958) and Miklos Rozsa for "Ben Hur" (1959). THE DESPERATE HOURS must be Wyler's shortest and least involving score. However the minimalist score not withstanding his DESPERATE HOURS remains a stunning evocation of the best that ever there was in crime movies. Taking the picture's main premise Michael Comino remade the movie in 1990. It was a valiant effort spoiled by the excessive and over stylized performance by the irritating Mickey Rourke in the Bogart role - diminishing the fine portrayals of Anthony Hopkins as the husband and the excellent characterization by David Morse in the Kobish role. Ultimately though the picture, lacking the required tension and atmosphere, was little more than a pale imitation of the original.

Daniel Kincaid "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.