Lawyer Nancy Breyers (Kelly Lynch) is defending robber and murderer Michael Bosworth (Mickey Rourke) for killing a guard in prison. She helps him escape but she falls behind. Albert (David Morse) and his brother Wally Bosworth (Elias Koteas) drive the getaway. Brenda Chandler (Lindsay Crouse) releases Nancy to track down Bosworth. Tim (Anthony Hopkins) and Nora Cornell (Mimi Rogers) are splitting up their family with their children (Shawnee Smith, Danny Gerard). He's broken up with his girlfriend and looking to reunite but she insists on selling the house. Michael and his men take over the house and keep the Cornells hostage. He makes contact with Nancy as he waits for her to join them.

Director Michael Cimino remakes the 1955 film. He's trying way too hard to be stylish. Some of the acting is too over-the-top. If he could dial some of it back, the movie could be an intense crime thriller. Micky Rourke can be an intense bad guy without any help but Cimino insists on pushing it. Everybody is overacting. The worst is probably Lindsay Crouse. Cimino is using every camera move and dramatic music. It's a little ridiculous to release Nancy but the call to her apartment is a little more ridiculous. The cops could easily be listening on the other end. It's not as if the message is in code. The movie could have been great but Cimino's relentlessness squanders the work of some great actors.

An escaped delinquent : Michael Rourke on the run along with his two hoodlums : Elías koteas, David Morse , move into a luxurious suburb and they enter at a house where lives a married couple , Anthony Hopkins, Mimi Rogers , and their two children : Shane Smith, Gerard . At the height of fear every moment is a desperate hour. A psychotic criminal is looking for a place to call home... just for a few hours , who is stronger ? A psychopath who feeds on terror ? Or a father driven by fear .? Only time will tell. Desire is the deadliest weapon of all.

A new rendition of the classic film 1955 by William Wylerthat starred Bogart , Fredric March, Martha Scott being released thirty-five years later and the result is a n average, violent and twisted story. It is based on a play written by Joseph Hayes and subsequent novel , he also wrote the script of the William Wyler film which is based this 1990 adaptation. The original source stage play was boxoffice smash hit in Broadway and won Tony Awards for Best Play and Best Direction. However, this latter 1990 rendition was critically poor received , panned by the reviewers and was a comercial failure , while Humphrey Bogart's adaptation had awesome critics . Furthermore , there is another version 1967 by Ted Kotcheff with George Segal , Michael Conrad , Arthur Hill, Barry Primus. Interpretations in this last 1990 recounting are uniformly acceptable . Mickey Rourke plays the psychotic criminal ,though overacting at times . The marriage couple , Anthony Hopkins and Mimi Rogers are better than Rourke. While other secondaries as Kelly Lynch , David Morse , Elías Koteas Linsay Crouse , Dean Norris , John Finch give decent performances.

The motion picture was regularly directed by Michael Cimino . Ths deceased director was an artisan who made a few but enjoyable pictures with hits and failures , such as Heaven's Gate , Thunderbolt and Lightfoot , The Sicilian , The Sunchaser and , of course , his biggest success : The Deer Hunter . Desperate Hours rating 5/ 10. The film will appeal to Michael Rourke and Anthony Hopkins fans .

Why is it that Hollywood believes that taking an old movie and putting a modern spin on it,is going to make it "even better than the original?"

I've seen and reviewed the original Humphry Bogart movie and now that I've seen this version on the "THIS" network last night,it only makes me like Bogie's even more.

The original slowly built up it's story and every bit of the action was well timed and gave you that sense of urgency and fear for the family in question.

In this one,it's was quite obvious that they were going for more focus on action and a slick look,than they were for acting.

Even a great actor like Anthony Hopkins,has his performance diluted by all of this mayhem. His role is okay but really doesn't get interesting until the last 30 minutes or so. The rest of the family pales in comparison to the 1950's version. In that one,they all took a shot at out-witting the bad guys.

Nora,the mom/wife,when first confronted by the gang of three is told by one of them,"I found someone's bikini by the pool." She stupidly tells them,"That's my daughter's". Good mom,tell these desperate criminals you have a daughter.

The little boy only cries for his mom or dad and only defies Rourke by saying"I'm going to bed". The son in Bogart's,hit,kicked and screamed at them.

Their daughter,while crying and emotional over the situation,is otherwise not a very interesting character. Her boyfriend,unlike in the original where he gets clued in, seems to somehow know she needs to be rescued,when really,he knows nothing of what's happening in the house.

Rourke's acting does not evoke a sense of fear and urgency like Bogart's did. I realize two different actors,two different styles but Rourke's doesn't even have a "style". All he does is act a little smug,or very angry and even his anger made me laugh.

The female lawyer he supposedly "loves" is a pretty thin character but even thinner and worse than that is the female FBI agent. Her performance is without a doubt the worst acting from a female I've ever seen. She spouts her lines like a female auditioning to be The Terminator or maybe making it obvious she's a member of the Jack Webb fan club! ...but ,her lines are so hollow and virtually emotionless ,she'd make Webb sound like Sir Laurence Olivier.

The only thing that kept me watching this film was to see the differences between the two films and to get to the anticipated climax. I knew how it would end but I had to see it through.

3 stars (and I'm being kind here) for a few good scenes of action and the ending. The end of 2 desperate hours. (END)