This weeks Sat morning film was so good it needs a post of its own - The Desperate Hours, William Wyler, 1955 - a proto home invasion flick that delivers non stop tension . So many reasons, big and small, to recommend this film. Let's start with Bogart - this is the first time I've seen him out and out vicious, no puppy love or humorous asides here - he's brutal, bitter and terrifying. Up against him, representing 50s suburbia is Fredric March, again amazing performance - echoes of his definitive Drs Jekyll & Hyde in the way a straight Joe is driven to the limits of his dark side. How far? That would be telling! Support cast excellent, especially Robert Middleton as a huge, simple minded psycho who hints at even darker levels, unthinkable for the time (talking about rape folks). Horror maven bonus - Arthur Kennedy as a police character who could very credibly have become the punch drunk one he played in the Manchester morgue 20 years later. Finally, it's the consummate direction that makes this a stone cold classic. One tiny example - a scene in a cafe kitchen, conveying some routine plot info - this done, you would expect a quick cut, let's move on, except Wyler holds the camera for 5 seconds after the police have left, just enough time for a toothless old kitchen porter to turn round, eyeball us and cackle insanely. Pointless detail but brilliant, just like this entire film.
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