Film Review
Frank Sinatra followed up his Oscar-winning turn in
From Here to Eternity (1953)
with what his arguably his most compelling performance in this almost
unbearably taut and claustrophobic thriller, in which he gets to play
the principal villain. Perhaps too conscious of his public
persona, Sinatra would shy away from this kind of role later in his
career but, as the soulless mercenary who has a total moral deficit and
abject disregard for human life, he has rarely appeared more imposing on
the big screen.
Suddenly
may be one of the less showy films in Sinatra's career (it was made not
by one of the big studios but by an independent film company, Libra
Productions Inc.) but it is assuredly one in which his skill as an
actor is most apparent - viscerally so.
A classic hostage drama, similar to
The
Desperate Hours which featured Humphrey Bogart and was released
the following year,
Suddenly
lives up its name with a dramatic denouement which never fails to take
its spectator by surprise. Before this there is a slow build-up
which introduces the characters and wrong-foots us into thinking this
is a pro-gun ownership propaganda piece.
Suddenly proves to be a far more
subtle and ingenious film than it first appears, and some thorny moral
issues are mulled over as the drama builds towards its terrifying
climax. In the preamble, much is made of the value of a man's
sacrifice in the heat of war, a hero laying down his own life for the
greater good. But when it comes to trading off the life of an
American President against the life of a small boy not one of the
victims can act to make the move that is clearly in the best interests
of the nation as a whole. It is not fear that makes the
characters become docile hostages but their inability to resolve the
moral dilemma that confronts them, and this is what makes the film so
gripping and memorable.
Director Lewis Allen helmed a fair number of stylish film noir
thrillers in the late 1940s, early 1950s -
So Evil My Love (1948),
Chicago Deadline (1949) and
Appointment with Danger (1951) -
but
Suddenly is in a league
of its own, not only superbly directed but also scripted with the mix
of panache and human insight that make for a truly great film
noir. Sinatra's stand-out turn is all the more effective because
of the sweaty realism that co-stars Sterling Hayden, James Gleason and
Nancy Gates bring to their performances. All of the characters
are convincingly drawn but it is Sinatra's that cuts most deeply into
our consciousness - not a stock villain but the most chilling depiction of a man
who has totally sold out to evil.
The film enjoys a certain unwished-for notoriety owing to the fact that Lee Harvey Oswald
admits to have watched it just a few days before he assassinated John
F. Kennedy in November 1963. If you hadn't known this you would
swear there is something grimly prescient about this film...
© James Travers 2014
The above content is owned by filmsdefrance.com and must not be copied.
Film Synopsis
Suddenly is a small American town which was once a hive of activity but
has become a place where nothing ever happens. It looks as if it
may again live up to its name when the President of the United States
is scheduled to pass through the town. To safeguard against an
assassination attempt secret service agent Dan Carney liases with the
town's sheriff, Tod Shaw, to ensure that there are no snipers lurking
in the buildings around the train station where the President is due to
arrive. War widow Ellen Benson lives in one such building, with
her young son Pidge and father-in-law Pop Benson. When Tod shows
up at the Bensons' hilltop homestead the family has already been taken
hostage by hired mercenary John Baron, who plans to shoot the President
as soon as he embarks from the train...
© James Travers
The above content is owned by filmsdefrance.com and must not be copied.