The Desperate Hours

The twist on the hostage scenario is interesting and everything is well done, but the twist also makes it feel a little off. Despite the constant undercurrent of tension we get a lot of scenes outside the house where the world is so much more open than in the confines of the suburban house. It feels like it's on the cusp of something truly great and can't quite fit the pieces together, but what we get is still a very fun and tense film.

A good workmanlike thriller that keeps up the tension. Bogart is fine, and so is March.

Bogart's penultimate film is a solid thriller about a home invasion. Very much by the book; it is a pretty good book, though. The actors acquit themselves well, particularly Fredric March.

That rare pleasure of multiple talents coming together to raise what would normally be as generic as it gets.

Today, it comes off as cliche and pretty standard, but it still manages to be entertaining the entire time. Bogart is solid here, all things considered, but the performances in general were pretty good.

It may be contrived, implausible, seen it all before etc etc but the acting (esp the two big names) is excellent and it can get quite tense. The shots of Bogart's face near the end are mesmerising. Robert Middleton as Kobish makes a great villain.

"The Desperate Hours" is about a family held hostage by a manic Bogart. The film holds its tension and moves fast enough to keep your attention.

A common noir plot: the hostage scenario. This is one of the best of them, with the situation escalating very naturally, amping up the tension nicely. Bogie's really terrific here, with a rougher edge than usual. The film could use a little more style, but Wyler does pull off some noteworthy compositions. One thing that drags it down for me is the little boy, one of those golly-gee little tykes that just annoys the hell out of me. Otherwise, quite a gripping take on an old chestnut.

Slick and suspenseful, with great work from Bogie and Frederic March.

Really by the numbers and cliched. Bogie looks like hell and can barely move but still out acts everyone easily. It's missing that one truly great scene that elevates it to a good film, the entire film you are waiting for something to happen but it does nothing but continually go through the motions of a hostage film. This is the 2nd film I've seen by Wyler and am still unimpressed, he seems to showcase actors more than himself. Watchable but not amazing.

Well made but I've seen it all before. Points for Humph.

This is an excellent well made crime drama. Humphrey Bogart is great in the lead villain role. The rest of the cast also puts in good work here. The script slowly builds to a very exciting climax. I would definitely recommend this film.

A thriller somewhere in between the same year's comedy "We're No Angels" and the "Home Invasion" theme that became popular in horror/thrillers in the 1970s. The writing is contrived and the acting hammy, with characters quite often behaving and talking irrationally or implausibly.

It wasn't a new idea at the time (even for Bogie, who was in Key Largo years earlier) and it's even more used now, but this home invasion thriller stands up pretty well thanks to outstanding performances from Bogart (in his second to last released film) and Frederic March. Robert Middleton also stands out in a supporting role. The pacing can get a bit sluggish, but there are some good moments and the performances really pull it through.

I'm a sucker for home invasion thrillers and while this could shave a few minutes here and there it's a solid Bogie thriller.

A tense but fairly formulaic film, especially for modern viewers. Can't really fail with Bogart though.

Not bad, a little slow and improbable in parts, and Bogart is probably a little old for his part, although he was very sick at the time and died not long after.