Humphrey Bogart was no stranger to portraying thugs and convicts by this late date. He had cut his teeth on these type of roles throughout his career but by 1955 had mostly left those behind for more sympathetic and nuanced parts. Director William Wyler took what could have been just another such film and coaxed an actual three-dimensional character out of what is essentially the same character Bogart had played early in his career in The Petrified Forrest. In that film, and the stage play before it, Bogart portrayed a thug holding a group of people hostage. Here, the basic premise is the same, yet the two films differ in all other aspects including tone. This is not a film populated by stereotypes going through the motions. It is a film where virtually everybody is fleshed out and therefore when dangers come we feel it immensely. Wyler was a gifted director and he knew how to ratchet up the tension.
The plot is very straight forward. Dan Hilliard (Fredric March), his wife Ellie (Martha Scott), and their two children Cindy (Mary Murphy), and Ralphy (Richard Eyer) are the typical American family. Dan is the breadwinner while his wife takes care of the home. Mary is a teenager who has a steady boyfriend and Ralphy is the younger brother who is wanting to grow up just a little too fast, bristling at being called Ralphy instead of just Ralph. Glenn (Humphrey Bogart), his brother Hal (Dewey Martin) and the cruel but childish Sam (Robert Middleton) have just escaped prison and are looking for a hideout for the day while waiting for Glenn’s girl to bring them some money so they can flee south across the border. While driving through the neighborhood, Glenn sees Ralphy’s bike abandoned on the front lawn and deduces that a family would be less likely to take risks for fear of retaliation against any one of the members. They take the family hostage banking of the Hilliard’s being easy to control and the nondescript residential area keeping them off the cops’ radar. Naturally, things do not quite work out that way.
The drama that unfolds for nearly two hours is told from two different sides. The primary one focuses almost exclusively on the Hilliards. It begins with a basic breakfast with the family, introducing us to each member and how they have gotten a little complacent with each other’s familial affections. Particularly obvious is Ralphy who, rather than give his father a kiss on the cheek, extends a hand for a stiff handshake instead. The daughter, likewise is distant with her father as it becomes obvious there is tension between her and the father who doesn’t want to admit his daughter is now a woman, ready to get married and start her own family. None of these notes is particularly unique but they are played so genuinely that that doesn’t really matter. As the drama with Glenn, Hal and Sam plays out we know from the start that this will, at least on screen, bring the importance of the family back into perspective for the Hilliards and bring them all back together as a familial unit.
Of the three escaped cons, only Hal comes across as somewhat sympathetic. Glenn protects his younger brother but is hard and cold to everyone else, Sam included. Glenn and Hal’s relationship is complicated but we only really get brief glimpses into that relationship. Most of what we can infer comes from silent moments between the two where Bogart conveys so much just in his eyes. We get the sense that he loves Hal but masks it when around others. Hal is a more gentle man who has been nurtured by his older brother but sometimes finds himself in conflict with that upbringing. This is first glimpsed when Cindy receives a call from her boyfriend Chuck (Gig Young) and fails to dissuade him from coming over. Hal, listening on the other line, defends her from the accusations of his brother.
The third con, Sam, is the wild card of the bunch. He starts out acting like a man-child, playing with Ralphy’s toys and acting like a big kid. This masks a very dark and murderous streak to him. He makes moves on Cindy as well as physical attacks on Ralphy. There is no subtlety to this character but nevertheless it is effective in creating a level of uncertainty you don’t get from the more levelheaded Glenn and the less hot headed Hal. Robert Middleton plays things very broadly here which occasionally comes across too heavy handed but mostly serves the purpose of depicting a loose cannon among the more mindful and cunning brothers.
The second perspective we get in this film is that of the police. These scenes are scattered throughout and mostly serve to keep audiences up to speed on the ever tightening net around Glenn, Hal and Sam. We get just enough of the processes used to narrow down the search as well as foiling plans that will force Glenn to stay put longer than initially planned. Wyler wisely makes these scenes brief and to the point, knowing that the real drama should play out at the house. He took what could have been a generic hostage film and imbued it with an overall sense of dread and realism that elevates it above many of its contemporaries. Still, he knew what type of movie he was making and didn’t try to reinvent the genre. Where this film is headed in no real surprise and it shouldn’t be. The brilliance of it is not in the direction it takes but in the journey along that path. Films aren’t necessarily great simply by being surprising. All it needs to do is be great at what it is and this film is just that. It takes many familiar tropes and portrays them perfectly. Bogart is great, chewing the scenery in a way only he could. He considered this a more mature, grownup version of Duke Mantee from The Petrified Forrest and that is spot on. He is also surrounded by supporting actors and actresses who all nail their roles to perfection making his partners as well as the Hilliards well rounded characters we can believe in. This really helps ratchet up the tension as we can identify with the family and dread what Glenn and Sam may do to them. It’s legitimately disturbing at times lending a sense of realism that isn’t always found in this type of film.
Running Time: 113 minutes
Cast: Humphrey Bogart, Fredric March, Martha Scott, Dewey Martin, Mary Murphy, Richard Eyer, Robert Middleton
Directed by: William Wyler
Comments
Post a Comment