The Desperate Hours

1955

The Desperate Hours

Critics Consensus

No consensus yet.

86%

TOMATOMETER

Total Count: 7

79%

Audience Score

User Ratings: 2,791

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The Desperate Hours Photos

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Movie Info

Based on the novel and play by Joseph Hayes, which in turn was inspired by an actual event, The Desperate Hours is the prototypical "family-trapped-by-criminals" drama. Escaped convicts Humphrey Bogart, Robert Middleton and Dewey Martin, seeking an appropriate hideout until they can make contact with their money supply, deliberately choose the suburban home of Fredric March and his family. The cold-blooded Bogart wants no trouble with the police, and he knows he can cower a family with children into cooperating with him. The convict orders March, his wife Martha Scott, and their children Richard Eyer and Mary Murphy, to go about their normal activities so as not to arouse suspicion. Young Eyer, upset that March won't lift a hand against Bogart, assumes that his father is a coward. The authorities are alerted when March, at Bogart's behest, draws money for the convict's getaway from the bank. Pushed to the breaking point, March begins subtly turning the tables on the convicts. Bogart's character in Desperate Hours was originally written for a much younger man, which explains why Paul Newman was able to play the part in the original Broadway production. The film was slated to co-star Bogart with his old pal Spencer Tracy, but this plan fell through when the two actors couldn't agree on who would get top billing. Desperate Hours was remade in 1991 with Mickey Rourke in the Bogart role. ~ Hal Erickson, Rovi
  • Rating:
    NR
  • Genre:
    Classics, Drama, Mystery & Suspense
  • Directed By:
    William Wyler
  • Written By:
    Joseph Hayes
  • In Theaters:
     wide
  • On Disc/Streaming:
  • Runtime:
  • Studio:
    Paramount Pictures

Cast

Humphrey Bogart
as Glenn Griffin
Fredric March
as Dan Hilliard
Arthur Kennedy
as Jesse Bard
Gig Young
as Chuck
Martha Scott
as Eleanor Hilliard
Dewey Martin
as Hal
Mary Murphy
as Cindy
Richard Eyer
as Ralphie
Robert Middleton
as Kobish
Alan Reed Sr.
as Detective
Bert Freed
as Winston
Ray Collins
as Masters
Whit Bissell
as Carson
Ray Teal
as Fredericks
Michael Moore (III)
as Detective
Don Haggerty
as Detective
Ric Roman
as Sal
Pat Flaherty
as Dutch
Beverly Garland
as Miss Swift
Louis Lettieri
as Bucky Walling
Ann Doran
as Mrs. Walling
Burt Mustin
Walter S. Baldwin
as Patterson
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Critic Reviews for The Desperate Hours

All Critics (7) | Fresh (6) | Rotten (1)

View All Critic Reviews (7)

Audience Reviews for The Desperate Hours

  • Apr 24, 2010
    Skip the remake & stick with the original
    Brody M Super Reviewer
  • Jun 23, 2009
    Classic...great movie even with Bogarts singular acting style....
    Barry L Super Reviewer
  • Nov 05, 2007
    A dense cat and mouse game featuring old Bogart, still pulling it off, maybe not as menacing as he could have, but it is his charcters rogue-like ambiguity that carries the movie. A hostage drama at its core, the movie features a many characters and depicts their conflicting interests. Of course, the increasing tension between the captors and the glooming disaster is what fires up the heat of suspense. Very good. HX
    Henrik S Super Reviewer
  • Aug 09, 2007
    William Wyler's <i>The Desperate Hours</i> is unnerving because it reminds us that no one is completely safe from the horrors of sociopathic criminals, not even average, Leave-it-to-Beaver families living in middleclass suburbia. Wyler brings crime into the living room, what could very well be YOUR living room, and lets you sweat it out along with the captive Hilliard family. Humphrey Bogart's character might not be his most villainous role, but he's definitely a miscreant and unempathetic personality. This isn't my favorite Wyler film or, for that matter, even my favorite Bogart vehicle, but it's still a good movie with enough suspense and tension to keep you on the edge of your seat.
    Kevin S Super Reviewer
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