Expected more

The film was still a fun one that will make you laugh and have you leaving the theater feeling like you just stole something valuable and got away with it.

Excellent and certainly provocative... If nothing else, the film is a real conversation starter.

By the time the dramatic fireworks start popping off, each one feels earned.

The 1955 movie "The Desperate Hours" is a pretty good movie. If it has one flaw, it's that it's now kind of dated in one aspect, that being that the bad guys come across as kind of tame by today's standards. I thought that problem would be fixed in this remake, but surprisingly it isn't. For the most part, Mickey Rourke's character and his two partners don't come across as that threatening. In fact, at times they are almost nice and considerate. Needless to say, it's pretty hard to be creeped out by these guys. Another reason why there's little tension also falls on the protagonists. Though they suffer abuse several times during the course of the movie, except maybe for the young boy Zack, they are not very sympathetic. They don't seem to be suffering that much, and they have attributes that kind of sour themselves towards us, like when it's revealed Hopkins' character had an affair.The characters are the main reason why the movie doesn't work. But there are other problems as well. They include an often inappropriate musical score, several sequences where linking footage seems to be missing, and inappropriate flamboyant directorial touches by the man at the movie's helm, Michael Cimino. The one positive thing I can say about the movie is that it's well photographed by Doug Milsome. Though to tell the truth, I think a more gritty look would have been appropriate for a hostage taking story. Anyway, in the end the only thing audiences will get out of the movie is some explanation as to why Michael Cimino's career never really recovered after "Heaven's Gate".

This is a very entertaining movie that delivers the goods from start to finish, and unlike other hostage movies, gives us some outdoor scenes, most notably a car (and plane) chase. It gives the film sone freshness. This is the first Mickey Rourke movie I've seen, and he makes an effective criminal. Also, the film does something with the cops (in the police car) I've never seen before: A 180 degree turn. And the finale is so over-the- top, it almost boggles the mind. It's a finale unlike anything I've ever seen. Lindsey Crouse, who plays one of the cops, goes over the top with her performance, that I couldn't tell if she was a mean cop, or one that took her job way too seriously.*** out of ****

Oh wow. In a bad way. This one was a real groaner. It was somewhat tolerable until near the end. And then it was one headshake moment after another. And I had high hopes in the beginning, with Rourke, Rogers and Hopkins in the cast. And the cable movie guide had given it three out of four stars. So I thought why hadn't I heard of this movie? And then I found out why.This is just pure Hollywood, formulaic, intelligence-insulting crap. Don't engage your brain. But even then you'll be suffering through it. Why weren't the producers and the director embarrassed to make this trash? Egads!

Nothing desperate here. Film-maker Michael Cimino would team up with Mickey Rourke again, after the crime epic "Year of the Dragon" five years earlier. But on this occasion we would see a lacklustre remake of the 1955 feature (which was originally adapted from a novel / stage play) with some nice scope (some beautifully scenic Utah backdrops with agile camera-work), but slightly leaden material and mechanical execution starves it of suspense and believability. Here's a glum siege movie (although its more like tedious house-sitting) that never feels all that threatening despite the best efforts by a smooth talking psycho Mickey Rourke and an neurotically edgy David Morse as some criminals that take a family hostage in their home. It lacks a pulse, tending to be limitedly forced and silly in its unreasonable actions. Where it only gets worse the further it goes along. Rocky relationships are put to the test and trust becomes the key factor for getting through this ordeal - for both sides. Mimi Rogers and Anthony Hopkins add some stalwart class. Kelly Lynch, Elias Koteas and Shawnee Smith are decent enough. Although I couldn't stand Lindsay Crouse's overbearing performance. David Mansfield's high-strung music score felt out of place. Glossy, but uninvolved dramatic thriller."You and I are going to be friends."