Desperate Hours (1990)

User Rating:

5.2/10   

Director:

Michael Cimino

Writers (WGA):

Joseph Hayes (novel)
Joseph Hayes (play)

Release Date:

5 October 1990 (USA)

Genre:

Thriller | Crime | Drama

Tagline:

At the height of fear every moment is a desperate hour

Plot:

An escaped con on the run from the law moves into a married couple's home and takes over their lives.

Plot Keywords:

Lawyer | Trial | FBI | Father Son Relationship | Bathtub

Awards:

1 nomination

Cast

Mickey Rourke	...	Michael Bosworth
Anthony Hopkins	...	Tim Cornell
Mimi Rogers	...	Nora Cornell
Lindsay Crouse	...	Brenda Chandler
Kelly Lynch	...	Nancy Breyers
Elias Koteas	...	Wally Bosworth
David Morse	...	Albert
Shawnee Smith	...	May Cornell
Danny Gerard	...	Zack Cornell
Gerry Bamman	...	Ed Tallent
Matt McGrath	...	Kyle
John Christopher Jones	...	Neff
Dean Norris	...	Maddox
John Finn	...	Lexington
Christopher Curry	...	Chabon

Runtime:

105 min

Country:

USA

Language:

English

Color:

Color (Technicolor)

Aspect Ratio:

1.85 : 1

Sound Mix:

Dolby

Certification:

Iceland:16 | Singapore:NC-16 | New Zealand:M | Australia:M | Finland:K-16 | Germany:16 | Spain:18 | UK:15 | USA:R

Filming Locations:

Alta, Utah, USA

Company:

Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer (MGM)

Trivia:

The original Broadway production of "Desperate Hours" written by Joseph Hayes opened on February 10, 1955 at the Ethel Barrymore Theater and ran for 212 performances. The author also wrote the novel and collaborated on the screenplay.

Quotes:

Michael Bosworth: There's too many rules in this house.

Movie Connections:

Referenced in "Murphy Brown: Desperate Times (#9.19)" (1997)

Soundtrack:

BREAKIN' THE CHAIN

Well done, sometimes tense and sometimes exciting thriller

Michael Bosworth is on trial and clearly not a nice man in the courtroom. When he goes to another room to talk with his beautiful lawyer Nancy, he steals a gun she has hidden under her skirt (how anything can be hidden under THAT skirt is a mystery) and escapes, joining his brother and another man.

Meanwhile, Tim Cornell, a lawyer whose family lives in a nice house, is trying to make peace with his wife Nora after an affair, but she is convinced the marriage is over and she is in the process of selling the house, as the sign out front makes clear. Bosworth and his associates show up and take the family hostage, and they use whatever information they can find for their benefit.

There are several exciting scenes in the beautiful wilderness of what is said to be Utah. Nancy is chased because she is suspected of helping Bosworth, though exactly what happened with that chase is not clear. We only see what happened later. And the process of finding out what happened to Bosworth is fasscinating.

Mickey Rourke does a good job, thoroughly evil in court but calm and almost kind with the family most of the time. Anthony Hopkins also delivers, keeping his cool throughout most of the ordeal and coming across as intelligent and even caring. Mimi Rogers did a great job as well playing Nora. Despite their problems, it was clear this was a loving family and they all cared about each other.

This is not a particularly violent movie, though at least one person does die. This is more of a psychological thriller than a Schwarzenegger action movie, though at one point a comparison to an action movie would make sense.