The Desperate Hours

"Bogart, in one his final film roles, returns to playing the kind of gangster heavy role that dominated his film resume prior to his breakout in The Maltese Falcon. Here he plays the leader of 3 prison escapees who take a family hostage, while they await the delivery of cash that will allow them to make a full escape. The film starts a little clunky with his fellow criminals feeling like they’re in a 3 Stooges sketch because of their idiocy. However, the film settles into an effective thriller/melodrama with the family, criminals and police all trying to outmaneuver each other. The film is based on play and it does a good job of keeping the family constantly under threat, so there is not an obvious solution to their predicament and the tension is allowed to build. 3.5. out of 5 stars."

"Good "