The director, John Frankenheimer, had an amazing string of movies in the early to mid-1960s. First, The Manchurian Candidate, then this movie followed up a couple years later by Seconds. These are three of the absolute best thrillers EVER--and all with the same director! Seven Days in May is about a coup d'etat in progress to remove the President of the United States from office. It seems his more liberal course in regard to arms control doesn't meet with the approval of those in the military and they are afraid the US will be destroyed if they continue on the President's path. This plot is great because you can see BOTH sides on this issue and understand so well where they come from and why they think they are correct, so it is NOT a cut and dried issue. IT MAKES YOU THINK and it seems so plausible the way it is laid out for the viewer.

The acting is GREAT as well--with Burt Lancaster as the popular general planning the coup, Kirk Douglas as the military officer who agrees with Lancaster but cannot allow himself to violate his oath as an officer, Frederick March as the idealistic President, and Edmund O'Brien as his trusted (though occasionally intoxicated) adviser--along with many others.

See this, then try the other two Frankenheimer thrillers listed. Unless you are extremely stupid, you'll love the films.

Seeing that 'Seven Days in May' is as highly regarded as it is immediately grabbed my attention. John Frankenheimer was a truly fine director who directed some truly fine films such as 'The Manchurian Candidate' and 'The Train'. His several collaborations of Burt Lancaster (of which this is one),which include 'The Train' and 'Birdman of Alcatraz', are all worth watching at least and there are some talented actors here. As well as an intriguing premise.

Which luckily is wholly lived up to in 'Seven Days in May'. If the subject doesn't appeal to you, the film may not be to your taste. If it does appeal and you like the genre, it is very likely to be the opposite. It is not one of Frankenheimer's best (quite) and not one of his very best collaborations with Lancaster (do prefer personally 'The Train' and 'Birdman of Alcatraz'). 'Seven Days in May' is still a very, very good film in my opinion, with many brilliant assets.

It does meander in pace in the third act, where it gets too talk-heavy, and gets a little heavy handed at times.

There is so much to love in 'Seven Days in May' otherwise though. It looks great, with the very atmospheric cinematography being especially good. Frankenheimer's direction is taut and accomplished, if not as visually innovative as a couple of his other films. He makes great use of the setting which has a sense of foreboding throughout, while the editing is pretty amazing. Jerry Goldsmith's, a personal favourite for years when it comes to film composers, music score is not too over-scored or bombastic while having great presence and ominous atmosphere.

Although the script has a lot of talk, with reliance on monologues, it is intelligent and thought-provoking talk that has a good deal of intrigue. Lancaster and Fredric March's big scene is exceptionally well written. The story did engage me and has tension, thanks to the chilling omnipresence of the surveillance mechanics, and didn't strike me as hard to follow. Some of the middle act is outlandish but in an entertaining way rather than a lacking in cohesion one. The film starts off incredibly well, with a stark documentary-like style to the filming

Found the characters to be well written and interesting, though Ava Gardner's was a bit too thin for my liking. The best thing about 'Seven Days in May' though is the acting which is nothing short of brilliant, even Gardner brings all she's got in a tricky part to make interesting considering the thin writing of it. Two of the trickier roles are for Kirk Douglas, which is reaction-heavy and not with a massive amount of talk, and Edmund O'Brien in a part that is so easy to play too broadly. Douglas tells so much with his eyes and his expressions and O'Brien enjoys himself hugely and makes his role a lot more interesting than it really is. Lancaster brings his usual intensity and nuance and March gives one of his best late-career performances.

In summary, very good even if not everything works. 7.5/10

I'm not normally a fan of fiction for reading, but I have to confess that this was one of the very few films in which I actually did read the book as well as see the film. Seven Days In May refers to a week in which a small group of men help President Fredric March forestall a military coup d'etat in the United States Of America.

Kirk Douglas is a high ranking Marine colonel who through some small bits of information he gleans, straws in the wind so to speak, he reasons out that the Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff played by Burt Lancaster is plotting such an overthrow. March has been in negotiations for disarmament with the Soviet Union and Lancaster feels the country itself has been put in danger.

All three of the leads are perfectly cast in their roles. The highlight is a confrontation with March and Lancaster and the two men are superb. Also to note in the cast are Ava Gardner as a former mistress to both Douglas and Lancaster, Edmond O'Brien as an alcoholic southern senator and close friend of the president and Martin Balsam as a presidential aide.

What I liked best about Seven Days In May is the small and telling performances director John Frankenheimer got out of even the smallest roles. Some of these roles are considerably bigger in the novel. George MacReady is March's loyal Secretary of the Treasury who March says has the finest mind in government is such an example. It's cut down from the novel, but MacReady still delivers a forceful performance that doesn't make you doubt he has exactly what March says he does.

Another example is Hugh Marlowe as a right-wing commentator that I believe was based on Fulton Lewis, Jr. Forgotten today, Lewis was quite a figure in right-wing circles at the time, his abrasive comments and support of Joe McCarthy in his prime made him a most controversial man. I still remember WOR airing his broadcasts for 15 minutes every evening right after the dinner hour.

And yet another telling performance is that of John Houseman as the fence sitting Chief of Naval Operations. Houseman only has a couple of scenes, but he comes across as a real piece of work.

Frankenheimer sets a mood and political tone for Washington, DC during the Kennedy years though the film was not released until after the tragic events in Dallas. In fact JFK himself read the book and liked it and made sure that the White House grounds themselves were used for shooting. That is the real White House you see being picketed in the beginning of the film.

We face today a more insidious threat to our democratic way of life, in fact it's safe to say we'll never be quite as free as we were up to 9/10/01. I daresay that Fletcher Knebel's novel could be updated and made today with Islamic terrorism as the reason some would have us become a military dictatorship.

Still with the classy cast Seven Days In May has I'll settle for what we already have.