Overview
A tense standoff unfolds in a suburban home as desperate men hold a family hostage, pushing the limits of survival and morality.
Ember's analysis
- Pacing
- Brisk
- Intensity
- Strong
- Complexity
- Easy to follow
- Violence
- Moderate
- claustrophobic
- foreboding
- gritty
- classic noir night
- crime thriller marathon
What critics said
Critics broadly regard the film as a taut, well-acted crime thriller whose contained home-invasion premise sustains suspense.
What sets it apart
May contain story progression spoilers
The escaped convicts occupy the Hilliard home and turn ordinary suburban spaces into a prolonged hostage situation.
The well-to-do Indianapolis household is randomly selected as a hiding place, directly challenging assumptions of domestic safety.
Dan Hilliard must protect Ellie, Cindy, and Ralph while suppressing any attempt that could trigger retaliation.
Several days of hostage occupation transform meals, movement, and family interaction into tense tests of survival.
Films like The Desperate Hours, and why
The Night of the Hunter
shared film noir atmosphere, domestic threat, and escalating psychological tension
Funny Games
shared home-invasion premise, hostage suspense, and morally pressured family drama
Cape Fear
shared criminal captivity, claustrophobic suspense, and coercive power dynamics
The Petrified Forest
shared crime thriller structure, fugitives under pressure, and tense law-enforcement pursuit
Movie Details
- Director
- William Wyler
- Release Date
- 1955-10-05
- Runtime
- 112 min
- Rating
- 7.0 / 10 (190)
Cast
- Humphrey Bogart
- Fredric March
- Arthur Kennedy
- Martha Scott
- Dewey Martin
- Gig Young
- Mary Murphy
- Richard Eyer
- Robert Middleton
- Bert Freed
Where to watch in United States
- Streaming
- fuboTV, MGM+ Amazon Channel, Philo, MGM Plus Roku Premium Channel, MGM Plus
- Rent
- Amazon Video, Apple TV Store, Google Play Movies, YouTube, Fandango At Home
- Buy
- Amazon Video, Apple TV Store, Google Play Movies, YouTube, Fandango At Home
Streaming options come from TMDB and change over time.
Common questions
- What is The Desperate Hours about?
- A composed suburban father wages a covert battle of nerve when escaped convicts seize his family home as their refuge.
- What is The Desperate Hours like to watch?
- Ember's analysis rates the pacing of The Desperate Hours as brisk, its intensity as strong and its storytelling as easy to follow.
- Is The Desperate Hours violent?
- Somewhat. Ember rates the violence in The Desperate Hours as moderate.
- What did critics think of The Desperate Hours?
- Critics broadly regard the film as a taut, well-acted crime thriller whose contained home-invasion premise sustains suspense.
- Which films are like The Desperate Hours?
- Films with a similar feel include The Night of the Hunter, Funny Games, Cape Fear, and The Petrified Forest.
- How long is The Desperate Hours?
- The Desperate Hours runs 112 minutes.
- Where can I watch The Desperate Hours?
- In United States, The Desperate Hours streams on fuboTV, MGM+ Amazon Channel, Philo, MGM Plus Roku Premium Channel, MGM Plus.
