Five Miles to Midnight (1962) User Reviews

Life is a masquerade

[bkoganbing · 6/10 · 4 April 2016]

Five Miles To Midnight is another of those Alfred Hitchcock type films that could have been a classic had he decided to do them. I think he was busy with The Birds when this came out.

Sophia Loren is the star both in billing and performance. She's married to former American GI Anthony Perkins and it's an abusive relationship. Perkins has to take a flight to Casablanca, but the plane crashes near Bordeaux and miracle of miracles he survives but is not found.

What a golden opportunity for a little insurance fraud. And a battered Sophia goes along with it. The rest of the film is the masquerade that Loren plays as she pretends he's dead like everyone suspects and what she endures with an increasingly unbalanced Perkins.

When Sophia Loren won her Oscar for Two Women she showed her acting chops and this film also has a lot more to do with Sophia the actress than Sophia the sex symbol. As for Anthony Perkins he started out playing callow youths with issues. After Psycho he started out playing far more deranged characters with issues although his character here is descending into a bit of madness unlike Norman Bates who was one fully formed whack job.

Other men in Sophia's life are Gig Young and Jean-Pierre Aumont. Won't give any ending away because in the end we don't know what's to become of the main characters most especially Sophia Loren.

Decent Sub Hitchcock Fun

[seveb-25179 · 7/10 · 10 June 2015]

I hadn't bothered watching this before because of the negative reviews it always seems to get, but I love Sophia and she made so few decent movies in the genre's I like to watch, that I finally gave it a go, and I was pleasantly surprised I found this to be a very enjoyable sub Hitchcock vehicle Anthony Perkins is very effective as the wheedling, manipulative man child that is his trademark and Gig Young is effectively ambiguous as the smarmy, stranger, who may turn out be an ally or an enemy The movie teases you with possibilities for violence or revelation that come to nothing, so that when something does happen it is all the more of a surprise (Which is considered slow and old fashioned these days, but was par for the course back then) Black and white suits the ambiance that they producers are aiming for, the veneer of French avant guard for a film that aspires to be more than it is, however what it is, is still fine by me PS; - Those who strangely expected Sophia to take her clothes off at some point obviously don't know her very well, as apart from, and perhaps because of, her experiences in her very early days in the movie business, she never does more than undo a couple of top buttons, as she does here

An Unusual Ending For Sophia

[theowinthrop · 6/10 · 21 March 2005]

This is not a great film, but it's enough of a curious film to merit watching. The story deals with a wife who loathes her husband (Anthony Perkins) and thinks him dead. If it is true she is well rid of him. It is not true, and he forces her to go through a life insurance swindle (for a big paying policy on his life). In the course of the movie she meets an insurance investigator (Gig Young) who she would really feel good with. But she has to keep up the lie that Perkins is dead, and Young grows more suspicion. And the pressure of the lie, and meeting Perkins demands, and facing Young's questions is building up more and more on Loren. The conclusion (which I will not reveal) was a surprise for Loren fans, and remains the only time she ever did this in a movie - she goes mad.

Many Miles of Monotony

[ags123 · 6/10 · 27 August 2016]

"Five Miles To Midnight" is a thriller with very few thrills. It does, however, offer some redeeming qualities which make it worthwhile for select viewers. Unlike many of the reviews posted here, I don't think the film is miscast. Anthony Perkins may not fit the description of a physical brute, but his persistent neediness is just as controlling and abusive. Creating such an unlikeable character is a complete reversal of Norman Bates, who was so endearing you almost wanted him to get away with murder. Sophia Loren not only looks beautiful, but turns in a fine, convincing performance. Remember, English is not her first language, yet her phrasing and tone are utterly real, as are her reactions. No surprise that she was awarded a Best Actress Oscar two years previously. The Paris we see here is not a postcard view, but rather a seedier image captured in stark black and white photography. The fault with this film is the script, which is lazy and weak and squanders an intriguing premise. "Five Miles To Midnight" is still worth a look.

OK thriller, but too long for its eventual payoff

[gridoon2024 · 6/10 · 10 May 2020]

It has several entertaining little details (like everything involving the little boy - neighbor), an offbeat score by Mikis Theodorakis, and good performances by the two stars, but it seems like even in 1962 the censorship rules were strict enough that the writers were hesitant to let anyone "get away with it" - if the "it" was illegal. Gig Young is smarmy and extremely annoying, but I suppose that is the intended function of his character. ENDING SPOILERS - DO NOT READ IF YOU HAVEN'T SEEN THE MOVIE - the scene where Loren runs over Perkins with her car repeatedly does have some shock value, but imagine how much better the ending would be if she also killed that annoying overage playboy creep Young and ran off with the money herself! **1/2 out of 4.

This is not a woman you want to tick off.

[mark.waltz · 6/10 · 18 January 2021]

And with good reason. Sophia Loren is in a loveless marriage to the completely not so Anthony perkins, just a few years off of "Psycho", and a completely manipulative narcissistic American whom Sophia regrettably married to get out of her small town in Naples. She admittedly made a mistake and now wants out of the marriage, but it's not going to be without a price as he finds himself in a predicament by surviving a plane crash and having purchased flying insurance before taking off. Now he wants to stay dead and collect the money and will only agree to leaving her alone if she will go along with his plan.

This film takes a while to get off the ground but once it does, you're absolutely hooked even though it is completely far fetched. Sophia's acting is sensational, completely unwilling to try to cheat to get a false settlement but having no other choice to go along with it so she can be rid of Perkins permanently. While she's working, he tries to hide out in their apartment, but a nosy little kid discovers his presence, leaving to a delightfully funny scene where he pretends to be on the run from a long dead gangster.

This is one of those thrillers that could have been a lot better and obviously the comparisons to Hitchcock films are because Perkins just worked for him. He's truly malevolent and scary but he underestimates Sophia. A lot of Sophia's brilliant scenes here come without words as the fear is written all over her face. The director, Anatole Litvak, has certainly made his share of classics, but this is quite forgotten, strange considering it came right after his famous shower scene and her Oscar. the slow start had me worried that this would be disappointing, but there were a lot of great moments even though this is far from perfect.

Not quite campy, not exactly thrilling, but...

[JasparLamarCrabb · 5/10 · 8 April 2009]

Anthony Perkins and Sophia Loren star so you know the Paris-set FIVE MILES TO MIDNIGHT is not going to be a run-of-the mill melodrama. It's the crazy story of Perkins faking his own death and convincing needy Loren to go along with the plan. He doesn't let the fact that she despises him deter him in the least. Director Anatole Litvak hits the ground running wasting no time in setting up this ridiculous situation. Perkins and Loren, whom the script even admits are oddly matched, are excellent. Perkins' first appearance is typical...biting his nails as he nearly stalks Loren (his wife!) in a crowded nightclub. Loren is beautiful and affirms her acting talent. She's a complete bundle of nerves. Gig Young appears late in the film as an American reporter with an eye on Loren and a suspicion as to what is really going on. Very moody, sometimes skirting camp, the film captures a terrific slice of early '60s Paris thanks to some stunning B&W photography by Henri Alekan.

Unpopular opinion: It's fantastic

[MissSimonetta · 8/10 · 14 August 2023]

FIVE MILES TO MIDNIGHT seems to leave other reviewers on here bored and cold. Maybe my positive reaction is due to my expectations being next to dinosaur bones, but I enjoyed myself a lot. Loren and Perkins are playing a mismatched married couple, so the lack of romantic spark between them WORKS. The two are each manipulative in their own way-- Perkins narcissistic and immature, Loren vulnerable and looking for a safety net-- so I enjoyed watching the cat and mouse games between them.

If the film has any flaws, it's a lack of punch in the suspense scenes. I feel like the director never milked these moments enough, certainly not the way a master like Hitchcock would have. Still, the characters are great and I liked the fatalistic noir vibe of the whole story.

Life After Death...

[azathothpwiggins · 10 August 2023]

In FIVE MILES TO MIDNIGHT, Robert and Lisa Macklin (Anthony Perkins and Sophia Loren) are near divorce, mostly due to Robert's childish, uncaring behavior. Lisa has pretty much made up her mind to move on, when Robert takes a fateful plane trip that ends in tragedy.

This is where the twist comes in, since Robert was the sole survivor of the crash. The real trouble begins when he decides to play dead, in order to collect on his life insurance policy. Lisa becomes increasingly caught up in Robert's plan, while growing more desperate and suffocated by her husband's greed and paranoia.

Things are complicated further by a man who is attracted to Lisa (Gig Young), whom Lisa tries to avoid. It gets very suspenseful and frantic from here.

This is another great vehicle for Mr. Perkins, and he makes the best of his odd role. Ms. Loren is exceptional in her role, showing a building dread and confusion that can only lead to one conclusion.

A quirky, unexpectedly dark thriller...

Not exactly the thriller it aims to be

[cdunbar-3 · 6/10 · 31 August 2008]

The evocative opening scene of Five Miles Before Midnight held promise. I anticipated a moody piece of film noir with an intriguing female lead rather than the usual male. I was also hoping for more of Jean Pierre Aumont, who distinguishes any film he's in, but his role was little more than a cameo. However Sophia Loren, though lovely to look at, does not yet have the dramatic punch to carry off this role, or perhaps she only required better direction. There was ambiguity suggested about how faithful she was to husband Tony Perkins and this could have been put over nicely with a more well seasoned performance. Perhaps it was simply their pairing together--I didn't think they possessed any chemistry. It's hard to believe she ever found anything attractive about Perkins well established immaturity. What woman would? In any case, she doesn't breathe enough life into her character of put-upon housewife and near the film's conclusion, she goes overboard in a frankly unbelievable personality transformation. Also, the "surprise" ending was no surprise to this reviewer, who wonders why she didn't see the obvious way out of her troubles much earlier. It is however, an entirely watchable film and one of those that you kind of like to poke fun at. Certainly there are worse films out there!

I'm Not Leaving on a Jet Plane

[BaronBl00d · 5/10 · 25 June 2008]

Rather pedestrian, generally slow, and, as others have succinctly noted, very miscast "thriller" about a husband surviving a plane crash and forcing his estranged, unhappy wife into acting like he is dead in order to cash in the huge insurance settlement. Tony Perkins plays the mean, horrible husband - and there are times when his boyish looks and behaviours actually come off as somewhat convincing but more often as not he just seems not up to the part. Sophia Loren - wildly miscast as the downtrodden wife and the wife of this guy to boot. She opens the film doing what has to be the best version of the Twist I have ever seen(she is lovely, absolutely lovely!). But Loren is given really very little to do and she looks so disinterested throughout most of the film until she has some climatic scenes at the end and overacts. There is little thriller here at all - mostly Loren looking unhappy and Perkins smiling and trying to be shocking. Huhhhhh! Sorry I was stifling a yawn. Gig Young, again miscast, plays some former police detective leering at Loren throughout and getting in so to speak to the Italian Zone in Paris. The Parisian backdrops and even the French-themed music are rather nice but I saw the ending coming well before the five mile marker and way before midnight.

Tony is great as always

[katie kaboom · 9/10 · 20 December 1999]

I just love this movie. It has suspense and a little comedy(even though the film makers may not have intended for there to be). Anthony Perkins was just great as the childish, nightmarish husband of Sophia Loren.

Lisa (played by the ever exasperating Sophia Loren) has tired of her immature, infantile husband, Bob (played by the always great Tony Perkins). Well, when Bob travels to Casablanca via plane and Lisa sees in the newspaper that it crashed with no survivors, she's relieved. But guess what? Unfortunately for her (but fortunately for us Tony fans), Bob didn't die! Well, Bob comes back to Lisa unbeknownst to anyone else and bullies Lisa into collecting the insurance money.

Overall this is just a great film (even if Sophia is in it). The ending is a shocker, too.

One more thing, listen to the film's music; it's really good, too.

1950's Insurance fraud with Sophia Loren as lovely as ever.

[Victor-J-1964 · 7/10 · 22 October 2017]

Suspense begins from the beginning with Italian wife Lisa Macklin (Sophia Loren) on the verge of splitting with her American husband Robert Macklin (Anthony Perkins). Prior to boarding a plane Lisa tells Robert she will not be here when he gets back. Before boarding Robert purchases an insurance policy for $120,000. The plane crashes and the papers report that there were no survivors.

The suspense really heats up when after the funeral Robert appears back at their apartment injured but very much alive. He brings Lisa into a scheme to keep his death a secret so that they can collect the money. Lisa is reluctant but Robert promises to allow for their separation and a share of the money if she would assist with the plane. Lisa is very torn and emotional as she labors through the process. The movie keeps you guessing what the outcome will be, and Lisa eventually realizes that she must end her trauma.

Sophia Loren is lovely and her facial expressions expressed her fear and emotional she experiences. Anthony Perkins is exceptional in being the creepy loner type. David Barnes and Tommy Norden provide great supporting roles as well.

One of the most unsatisfying thrillers I've ever seen...

[moonspinner55 · 5/10 · 4 April 2007]

You would think that any thriller beginning with Sophia Loren doing the Twist in a Paris nightclub couldn't be all bad! Unfortunately, the plot mechanisms (and red herrings) of "Five Miles to Midnight" nearly defeat Loren, very good as the put-upon wife of a neurotic who has sneakily walked away from a plane crash, hoping to collect on his flight insurance worth $120,000. Anthony Perkins, more nervous and fey than ever, continually bites his fingernail, his face twitching in possessive jealousy, while we in the audience wait in agony for Loren to come to her senses and put him out of his misery. It's hard to determine which element of the picture is more inappropriate: Perkins' icky Norman Bates-isms, Gig Young's leering, Cheshire Cat-like performance as an ex-detective-turned-newspaper man, or Mikis Theodorakis' insanely 'Parisienne' background music. ** from ****

Mis-Matched Stars in Low-Budget Thriller

[thursdays · 8 June 2004]

Anthony Perkins is not exactly the abusive husband type (especially to an ever-beautiful Sophia Loren). Add to it the plot elements of master-minding an insurance fraud, and the odds of good-natured Perkins pulling it off become immeasurable.

The sole survivor of a plane crash, Perkins was fortunate to have taken out a special insurance policy (even if the odds of dying in a crash were 1 in 1,000,000). Good wife Loren, already prepared for widowhood by the "news", gets a good shock when Perkins shows up, pressuring Loren to play along with the hoax to collect the insurance money.

Although the ending is somewhat of a surprise, the time spent getting there seems like an endless and tiresome walk through the woods, only to arrive at a run down greasy spoon as a reward. Without any frills or glamour, even shot in b&w, this is a less than average vehicle for either of the stars. Look for a young Tommy Norden (of TV's "Flipper" Fame) in a minor role. Otherwise, skip it altogether!**

Not a very good vehicle for anyone

[blanche-2 · 6/10 · 27 September 2008]

Certainly Anatole Litvak was no slouch as a director, but he missed the mark here in "Five Miles to Midnight," a 1962 film starring Sophia Loren, Tony Perkins and Gig Young.

Lisa Macklin (Sophia Loren) married to an American, believes that her husband (Tony Perkins) has been killed in an airplane crash. Actually, he was a survivor and wants to collect $120,000 in insurance he took out before the flight by pretending to be dead. Of course, his wife has to collect it. The two don't exactly get along, and the only way to be rid of him is for Lisa to collect the money for him. She is falling for a newspaperman (Young), who is suspicious as to what is going on. Her husband promises he will let her go once he has the money.

This is a very unsatisfactory film, in part because of the miscasting of Tony Perkins as Loren's husband. Not only that, but the acting just isn't very good even from pros like Loren, Perkins and Young. Litvak only made two more films after this - it appears he lost his touch after making some marvelous films: This Above All, All This and Heaven Too, Tovarich, City for Conquest. Either that or he had to make too many concessions. At any rate, he didn't pay too much attention to what the actors were doing. The story just meanders along. Not very good.

Ok thriller

[ThomasColquith · 6/10 · 14 October 2021]

I don't know if "Five Miles to Midnight" is categorized as a thriller or not, because it is kind of slow and not all that much happens in it, but it is mildly interesting and merits a watch. I could sort of see where it was going, but not entirely. The ending is dour, be forewarned. I thought Loren was good here and Perkins maybe a little too hammy, but there was some tension and suspense most of the way after a slow start. I rate it a 6/10.

Moreover, as others have noted, Perkins was probably miscast here, the role of husband really should have been a more physically and emotionally intimidating man and presence which could account for the wife's difficulty in escaping his grasp and the need for her to take drastic actions. I also didn't care for the Gig Young character, he seemed the worst of them all and probably wasn't needed all that much.

insurance scam

[ksf-2 · 7/10 · 24 December 2021]

Weirdest cast ever. Sophia Loren, Gig Young, Tony Perkins. After an airplance accident, the husband who survived the crash (Perkins) stays out of sight, and wants to collect the life insurance policy, with the help of his wife (Loren). They both think it's the perfect crime, but there are still some surprises to come. And the wife's new boyfriend (Young) begins to suspect that something strange is going on. Can everyone hold it together until they collect the cash? And what happens after that?? Directed by Anatole Litvak; he had already been nominated for two oscars. Story by André Versini. Moves a little slow by modern standards, but the story is pretty solid.

Doesn't work as a feature film

[Wizard-8 · 3/10 · 23 April 2009]

The first thing that will strike viewers as strange is the title. Is "Five Miles To Midnight" a common expression? If so, I've never heard of it before. Anyway, placed next to the movie, it doesn't make that much sense, even though a character in the movie does say the title out loud at one point. If they had used the Charles Bronson title "10 To Midnight", it would have made a bit more sense.

The second thing that will be strange to viewers is the pairing of Anthony Perkins and Sophia Loren. True, they were paired together as a romantic couple a few years earlier in "Desire Under The Elms", but reportedly that worked as well as it does here. How a beauty in the form of Loren could be attracted to the nervous, boyish Perkins is hard to swallow, to say the least.

But even if the title was fixed AND they got two lead actors with better (and believable) chemistry together, I think the movie still wouldn't have worked. I could see this story being told as a short graphic story in the comic "Tales From The Crypt". I could see this story working as a half-hour episode (with commercials) of a show like "Alfred Hitchcock Presents". Or even as a full hour. But this telling of the story lasts about 110 minutes. It's VERY slow-moving, full of padding like the stuff with the little nosy boy. Plus, the ending of the movie is very predictable - I guessed what would happen after reading the plot synopsis before actually starting the movie.

Far from the worst movie I've seen, but still not worth seeing. Trust me, you've seen this story before one way or another.

Compelling psychological thriller

[myriamlenys · 8/10 · 1 April 2024]

In "Le couteau dans la plaie" (AKA "Five miles to midnight") a man survives an air crash, thanks to random chance. Being a louche and manipulative person, he talks his wife into making a false insurance claim over his supposed death. Needless to say, this will lead to one complication after another.

A mix of thriller and drama, "Le couteau" is quite suspenseful. It can also be read as a darkly perceptive study of a marriage gone awry. Here, husband and wife are unable to live together, but they are also unable to part ways in an adult and responsible manner. When they find themselves cooped up together, the claustrophobia leads to a hellish situation, what with two wary people circling each other like spiders trapped in the same jar.

The cast is unusual but performances are good. Sophia Loren, in particular, impresses as the embattled female protagonist.

So there's a lot to enjoy in "Le couteau", especially for lovers of the psychological thriller genre. However, the movie does have its flaws. For instance, at one point the female protagonist crosses paths with a male character who is a stranger to her. The said male character then starts following her around, in a stalker-like way. As a viewer you think "Aha ! That is either a dangerous sex pest or a private investigator determined to latch onto the couple" but no, the ending seems to suggest that he was just a regular Joe who strayed into somebody else's tragedy. Whether caused by the writing, the acting or both, this dissonance does no favors to the plot.

Viewers who enjoyed the movie can take a look at "The running man" (1963) with Laurence Harvey. Both works are remarkably similar in theme.

The Master of Tics

[Hitchcoc · 7/10 · 19 October 2017]

Tony Perkins, fresh off of "Psycho," isn't Norman Bates, but he's damned close. His eccentric, childish persona really made me nervous. I forgot what a looker Sophia Loren was. I remember her later when she had put on so much weight. Anyway, she has to deal with Perkins and his idiotic moods. He's violent and a bully, so she is stuck. Imagine the relief when she thinks he is dead. But then he shows up and ruins her life. Gig Young comes to investigate and she must carry with her all these secrets of bilking the insurance company. It's a really uncomfortable film to watch. Perkins is way too much here and that kind of ruins it for me. But there is some morality at work here.

Raising Norman Bates

[macpet49-1 · 2/10 · 4 November 2008]

This is a miscasting masterpiece. Tony Perkins is still the perpetual troubled youth with the reed-like body. First, he is never believable as a married straight man, even in a good film. He is at his best playing neurotic boy men who cannot find their way. Here he is up against the sensual earth mother, Sophia Loren, of all people. Sophia does her best to raise Tony to her level but all for naught. He tries to mentally abuse Sophia and physically gets in a few jabs, slaps mostly. Sophia is much larger than Tony so it all comes off as absurd. She could take him with one punch. Don't tell me a savvy Italian woman like herself didn't shove around a few over zealous American soldiers during the war. She can take care of herself. Tony is only terrifying when he has a weapon and in this one he's weaponless. It's just too dull for words. He looks like he needs to be put to bed with a story and glass of milk. Thank God they didn't waste any technicolor on this one.

Low-budget thriller -- Loren/Perkins both miscast in leads

[mdm-11 · 6/10 · 1 June 2005]

Anthony Perkins is not exactly the abusive husband type (especially to an ever-beautiful Sophia Loren). Add to it the plot elements of master-minding an insurance fraud, and the odds of good-natured Perkins pulling it off become immeasurable. The sole survivor of a plane crash, Perkins was fortunate to have taken out a special insurance policy (even if the odds of dying in a crash were 1 in 1,000,000). Good wife Loren, already prepared for widowhood by the "news", gets a good shock when Perkins shows up, pressuring Loren to play along with the hoax to collect the insurance money.

Although the ending is somewhat of a surprise, the time spent getting there seems like an endless and tiresome walk through the woods, only to arrive at a run down greasy spoon as a reward. Without any frills or glamour, even shot in b&w, this is a less than average vehicle for either of the stars. Look for a young Tommy Norden (of TV's "Flipper" Fame) in a minor role. Otherwise, skip it altogether.

Oh my lord

[mls4182 · 5/10 · 31 October 2023]

You've got to see this. The first two thirds of the film feels like driving with the emergency brake on then WOW! The film shifts into overdrive.

Anthony Perkins was a handsome, talented actor. He was no leading man. He comes across as a child next to strong, beautiful, earthy and savvy Sophia Loren. Really bad casting.

Sophia did great with what she was given. You couldn't ask for anything more.

Gig Young is unbearably irritating and was most likely drunk during filming. The rest of the supporting cast is irritating as well. Particularly the annoying neighbor kid

It is still worth watching for the last act of the film. It's a lulu.

***

[edwagreen · 7/10 · 19 November 2017]

Anthony Perkins does an effective almost like continuation of the Norman Bates character in this 1962 film. Sophia Loren is equally effective doing a Norma Desmond crack-up like character in the film as well.

Misdeed comes to the unhappily married couple when the plane Perkins is flying on crashes and he is thrown from the plane and survives. No one has to notice that so he literally returns from the dead and plots with Loren to get the insurance money. He promises her her freedom from him, only to go back on his word when she finally gets the money by saying that after all she lied and signed papers to get the money.

Gig Young is the reporter she meets earlier after he takes over the apartment of Jean Pierre Aumont who is fortunate enough to exit this film quite early.

Everyone is dancing about twisting in the era of the twist and there is that obnoxious little boy, a neighbor from quite the way, who sees Perkins and tries to be his friend.