Frank Sinatra became such a legend in his own lifetime as a singer, a symbol, an actor, and a subject of controversy that there is little to really find that is unusual to talk about concerning him. What to add to the singing idol and Oscar winner. Whatever one thought of Sinatra he was larger than life to most of us - and I sometimes think that the 20th Century ended in 1998 when he died.

Sinatra's film career is odd. Initially it was his singing that got him roles. But the characters he played in ANCHORS AWEIGH, ON THE TOWN, and some other early films were very naive types. It is not until FROM HERE TO ETERNITY that people were able to see him in serious film parts. But he still played people that one liked or sympathized with.

Sinatra could skirt the law or morality, but he is not the villain usually. In ROBIN AND THE SEVEN HOODS and OCEAN'S ELEVEN, there are worse or more threatening mobsters than Robbo or Danny Ocean. Think of Peter Falk in the former, or the gentlemen represented by George Raft in the latter. The most sleazy character he played was PAL JOEY, who uses women to reach his dream of a great nightclub. But he is not the sleaze ball that John O'Hara wrote of or that Gene Kelly played in the Rodgers and Hart musical. The role was watered down.

The fact is Sinatra had an image problem. Sinatra simply refused to be a villain (except once - more in a second). At least, however, Sinatra could still do dramatic roles while being a hero (like Detective Tony Rome, or "Von" Ryan), but he stymied a section of his acting development. His fans never cared, but it meant that he never could reveal a darker image in his acting, unless his characters were twisted by circumstances they barely understood (like in THE MANCHURIAN CANDIDATE).

SUDDENLY is the one exception. Here Sinatra played a psychotic villain - a would-be Presidential assassin hold up in a house with his gang, setting up a state of the art rifle with a telescopic site to kill the President as he steps off a train in the small town of Suddenly.

It was pointed out on this thread, in another review, that the film seems like a "B" feature, even though Sterling Hayden plays the sheriff, and James Gleason plays a retired Secret Service Agent. Actually the subject matter was quite unusual. Films about political assassination in the U.S were rarities. In the 1940s and 1950s one can think of WE WERE STRANGERS, THE TALL TARGET, PRINCE OF PLAYERS, ALL THE KING'S MEN, A LION IS IN THE STREETS, and THE PHENIX CITY STORY. All these actually dealt with real assassinations (WE WERE STRANGERS dealing with events in 1933 Cuba, but the others dealing with Lincoln, Huey Long, and the murder of the Attorney - General (of Alabama) by corrupt politicians in 1954). But SUDDENLY broke the model a little: SUDDENLY suggested that the Presidency was fair game in mid-20th Century America.

This was a shocking concept. McKinley had been the last President to be killed by an assassin, and that was in 1901. Although Teddy Roosevelt was wounded in 1912 while campaigning, and FDR shot at (and Mayor Cermak of Chicago killed) in 1933 those events were long past. FDR's near thing was (supposedly) connected to the Depression. But in 1950 Harry Truman was targeted by two Puerto Rican nationalists at Blair House in Washington (one of the assassins and one of the Secret Service guards had been killed). Still despite the fatalities in 1933 and 1950, the image of a President dying by an assassin seemed unreal in 1954.

So the film became quite unsettling to the audience of it's day. Sinatra has the mind set of John Baron (the assassin) quite down pat. A total egomaniac, his attempts at being friendly are only to brag about his being a successful shot in the army. He tells Pidge Benson (Kim Charney - Gleason's grandson, and one of Baron's hostages) that he won a medal for his marksmanship from the army. Pidge dismisses it by saying he (Baron) must have stolen it. He thinks he is better than Booth and the other assassins, because he has his escape planned - although Gleason warns him he'll never get away with it. He also dismisses the men who hired him because immediately as the President dies he'll be replaced by the Vice President. It never bothers him that the men who hired him may want that Vice President as President.

He does try to overawe Ellen Benson (Nancy Gates) in the kitchen. But he knows Ellen and the Sheriff are a couple, so it's a way at striking at Hayden too. But his attempts at seduction are not effective (Ellen finds him repulsive). It is possibly the oddest sexual failure in any of Sinatra's movies.

In the end the Bensons and their allies thwart Baron, and he dies not understanding why the scheme failed. The film therefore ends reassuring the viewers that "it can't happen here anymore." Within nine years, after he made his best film THE MANCHURIAN CANDIDATE (also dealing with political assassination), Sinatra saw his former friend President John Kennedy murdered. It may have struck him as odd that the murder weapon was a rifle with a telescopic site aimed from a height (the window of a warehouse, rather than a private home), and that the killer was a wiry, thin, long faced loner with a military record. It may explain the fact that Sinatra made sure to take both THE MANCHURIAN CANDIDATE and SUDDENLY out of circulation for decades - he may have felt profoundly guilty about what happened.


Pure suspense and entertainment in "Suddenly!" Sinatra superb as was the complete cast. Excellent direction by Lewis Allen. The formula, of course, is hostages held in terror by gunmen with Sinatra as their leader. He is going to snipe the president from the window of the captives house.

Certainly one of the better Film Noir productions.


Frank Sinatra, Sterling Hayden, James Gleason, Nancy Gates; these are the stars that make this movie an intense crime drama; the planning of an asassination of the president of the USA from an unsuspecting private home overlooking a small town. I just saw this again on TV and it held my interest to watch Sinatra in all his snarling meanness manipulating everyone. Sterling Hayden plays the sheriff rather stiffly, but macho enough to get himself shot in the arm; James Gleason, always a genius, gets the TV repairman to connect the wires to the table on which the automatic rifle is placed which explodes and starts the gun off (I always love James Gleason); the scene goes so fast you have to zero in on all that happens in that moment. It's all rather predictable and all ends well.


I found this at an "everything $1.00 store" and bought it just because Sinatra was in it. What a find!! The film is really slow and poorly acted until Sinatra shows up about 20 minutes in but then becomes MUCH better. This is written right after Brando died and all the obituaries said he changed acting with his facial expressions and emotions right out there for the world to see, but it seems to me Old Blue Eyes deserves some of the same credit. In 1954 when this was made, everybody was reading their lines and standing very straight but in this film Sinatra breaks those rules and shows us into the mind and heart of a man badly damaged by his war experiences.

If you get a chance to see this by all means do it!


This is another of these films that a friend thought was great, so I went out and rented it, expecting more than what was delivered. It's certainly not what it's lived up to be, by either my friend or by critics in general. Frank Sinatra and Sterling Hayden were fairly interesting, and it was refreshing to see a patriotic line or two, but that was about it. The story had NO credibility! It was just so unrealistic it was embarrassing and insulting to watch, with very dated dialog.

At least it was a short film. They didn't go overboard in dragging it out and making it even more talky and hokey.


SUDDENLY was, I suspect, meant to rebut Senator Joe McCarthy and prove, gosh darn it, Hollywood loves America, loves guns, hates pacifism, and pledges allegiance. You'll get that message in the first five minutes, and every few minutes all the way to the unsurprising end.

There's a place for cornball movies with a message, but this movie is so cornball it's almost camp. The main message is that guns are necessary, and I don't argue or even disagree (I own two). But this message is hammered home over and over again, along with the goodness of cops and the greatness of America and the virtue of ordinary Americans. And again I'm not disagreeing, just bored silly -- the schmaltz drips off everything here, like pouring a whole bottle of syrup over a few pancakes.

Frank Sinatra is excellent as the bad guy, though his scripted lines are frequently absurd. The dialogue is clumsy and clunky -- real people don't speak like this, and never did. Sterling Hayden has never seemed more wooden, and his obsession with the town's young widow is downright creepy and cries out for a restraining order.


My continuing exploration of noir finally brings me to Frank Sinatra's only true essay at the style, which actually seems to fit his nervous, energetic style of the time quite well. Here he is the leader of a group of assassins planning on taking out the President for cold hard cash as he stops in the small California town of Suddenly. Opposing him are the town's sheriff, the always watchable Sterling Hayden, and Secret Service agent Carney, who happens to be friends with James Gleason's Pop, a former agent now retired who owns the hilltop house that Sinatra and company plan on using to carry off their deed (with a high-powered rifle).

Most of the film ends up taking place in the house, as a tense hostage situation plays out through the back and forth between Sinatra and Hayden. It's all fairly well paced and taut; director Lewis Allen isn't usually named as one of the greats in the genre and indeed he doesn't seem to know what to do with all of the too-large cast in the short running time, but the basics work out pretty well, and Sinatra's tormented, sweaty and nervous characterization makes the film a must for devotees of the psychopath. DVD (rather poor quality) rental.


This is not a mystery, but a very good thriller! Then why there's Mystery tag?

Well apart from that, It's really a very good movie. A chilling thriller. I didn't feel this was a total film-noir.

Sinatra plays a very good role as Baron the assassin. The movie portrays Baron's psychological struggle with his captives, and presents an interesting portrait of what nowadays is a controversial matter, the function of firearms in the home.

Ironically, Sinatra's character presents himself as a "war hero," while Sinatra was 4-F during World War II and Sterling Hayden served with the United States Marine Corps and received the Silver Star for his gallantry in the European theatre.


First time I watched this file was 20 Jan 2006. ( 52 years later - better late than never - smiling) I enjoyed the director's excellent mix of character complexities, the early 1950s icons of cars, dress, and innocent patriotism, the references to post-traumatic syndrome of World War II G.I.'s, and small town reluctance in cooperating with federal authority. Frank Sinatra was excellent in his role as John Baron, a ruthless and psychotic yet street smart hired assassin. Sheriff Shaw, the injured hostage of John Baron, bravely harassed John Baron of past president assassin's failures of escape. John Baron showed keen insight into the past assassin's failure of escape; he made up in his mind he was going to be an exception to the rule. I enjoyed every minute of this drama.


I've seen Suddenly a couple of times now and found it quite gripping.

A rail worker receives a message telling him that the President is to pass through Suddenly at 5 pm. A bunch of crooks find out about this and terrorise a family, whose home overlooks the station, giving the terrorists the perfect vantage point to assassinate the President. After all this, the President's train goes through non-stop and the crooks get their comeuppance.

The cast in Suddenly includes Ol Blue Eyes himself, Frank Sinatra and is joined by Sterling Hayden (The Asphalt Jungle) and Nancy Gates (World Without End, The Atomic City).

Suddenly is a must see for all old movie fans. Very gripping.

Rating: 3 and a half stars out of 5.


**SPOILERS*** Hired assassin John Baron, Frank Sinatra, saw just how futile the "hit-Job", that he and his fellow hired killers who were paid up to $500,000.00 each, was to assassinate the President of the United States;"A second after he's shot he'll be replaced by someone else so what's the purpose of killing the President anyway"?

The movie "Suddenly is more then just a solid thriller as well as a curiosity piece. It unknowingly and unconsciously foretells a real presidential assassination, JFK, by some nine years after it's release.

The way the assassination is depicted planned and put into motion is far more realistic and believable then what the Warran Commission come up with. Instead of one lone nut all by himself with one gun that The Warren Commission came up with the film had a trio of professional killers. Who were hired by an unknown person, or persons, to knock off the president for reasons known only to themselves. Another oddity about the film "Sudddenly" is that it was actually broadcast on the CBS network's "The Early Show" weeks before the assassination of JFK took place in November 1963.

With the President of the United States special train due to stop at the town of Suddenly the Secret Service FBI and local policemen get a tip of a possible assassination, that they got from a shot and dying hoodlum. The cops search the building and stores by the railway station to make sure that everything is secure for the president's stopover It also turns out the tip was real; three hired hit men are in town to pay the president a deadly visit.

Lead by John Baron the thee, posing as FBI men, take over the home of Pete Benson, a retired Secret Service man, and his widowed daughter Ellen and eight-year-old grandson Pidge, James Gleson Nancy Gates & Kim Charney. The trio shoots both Sheriff Tod Shaw,Sterling Hayden, who was wounded and Secret Service head Don Carney, Willis Bouchey, who died as they came to the door to check things out. It's now just a matter of time for the train to pull up and for them, with Baron as the shooter, to get the president in their cross-hairs.

It's between the time that the killers wait for the presidential train to pull up at the station that two of them Benny Conkln & Bart Wheeler,Paul Frees & Christopher Blake, begin to realize what their doing and how the odds are against them to survive and escape from the law; nobody has ever gotten away with killing a President of the United States and they'll be no exception. Only the psycho and insecure Barnon thinks that he can pull this off, even after Benny is shot dead by the Suddenly police, as he cased out the train station less then an hour before the president's train was to arrive.

Being on an ego trip more then anything else Baron, despite the police already being tipped off, is determined to get the job done and in the end does a job not only on his co-hit-men but on himself. Chilling as well as entertaining movie with Frank Sinatra at his best as crazed ex-war veteran John Baron who feels that life had dealt him a losing hand and was to even everything up by killing the president and getting away with it at the same time.

Sterling Hayden is a bit stiff as the towns Sheriff Tod Shaw and has a hard time convincing the audience, as well as those on the screen, that he's in danger of losing his life even after he was shot. Hayden reads his lines in such a mechanical way that he comes across as if he's a telephone answering machine.

Both Nancy Gates and James Gleason as Ellen & Pete Benson are effective as hostages. Ellen's concern for her son and father as well as her fear of guns, Ellen's husband was killed in the Korean War,comes across believable and at the same time unnerving. Since she's forced to use a hated gun to save her and her father together with Pete, James O'Hara, and her son's Pidge lives towards the end of the movie.


I really like this film a lot. I'm a big fan of Sterling Hayden, Nancy Gates, and Frank Sinatra.

There's no arguing that it could have been better. Some actors are miscast (would have preferred a more seasoned actor play Slim...such as Martin Landau), but overall, it's a fun film to watch.

In my opinion, Frank Sinatra was a much better "bad guy" actor than he ever was playing "good guys". He's the best thing about this film...sinister, self-serving, and cold-blooded. A great performance!

Like others have said, it's the "fifties" sets and costumes that make this really interesting. Had the director spent a little more time in choosing the right weapons, and tightened up the secondary casting, it probably would have fared better.

If you've never seen it, do yourself a favor. It's a hoot, warts and all.

Johnboy


"Suddenly" takes it's name from the small western town where the action takes place. It's a taut drama about an assassination attempt on the President of the United States. This movie's plot does hold your interest, partly because there is an organized, well financed conspiracy involved in the attempt, compared to the "lone nut" from history.

Reportedly this movie was viewed by Lee Harvey Oswald shortly before he assassinated President Kennedy. For this reason, Frank Sinatra withdrew this movie from circulation.


This film is just one tick above being a laughable propaganda film like Reefer Madness or Cocaine Fiends, only the agenda is the almighty handgun. The screenwriter tossed in one speech by the assassin about how a gun makes him feel like god so he can feel balanced I assume. But the film is basically a 75 minute speech about how we need guns. It begins with a poor little boy who cant have a toy gun because his mother wont let him and the sheriff who's dying to do the single mom buys it for him anyway; way to go sheriff, that'll get you some! The boy tells mom his classmates call him sissy for not having one. The ex-secret service father in law to the mom (dad of her war-slain hubby) gives an over the top speech about how great guns are and how she shouldn't cry for her dead hero husband. Minutes later he chastises her for just "being a woman" when she is concerned about him electrocuting himself when fixing a TV. It's really shameless. The ending is telegraphed far in advance when the little boy shoots the assassin but just barely misses, the gun-hating mom picks up the gun and shoots him but just wounds him and then the macho sheriff takes it and does what only a man can do - justifiably kill a bad man with one shot. Well the boy and mom didn't get the kill, but at least now they are men, well sort of, in a way. Oh brother.


The movie kicked up something of a fuss at the time (1954). After all, Ike Eisenhower was not only a popular president but a war hero as well. It's probably no stretch to say that, yes indeed, everybody liked Ike. So this was a pretty nervy production for the conformist 1950's. Then too, it's likely no accident that the movie was produced independently of the Hollywood studios. I doubt any studio, big or little, would have okay'ed such touchy subject matter as killing a president. But the 70 minutes does amount to an effective little suspenser, as assassins and hostages crowd into a living room perch awaiting the president's sitting-duck arrival, while the tension mounts.

The movie came along during a low point of Sinatra's career before his 1954 Oscar reversed the slump. That's probably one reason he would take on such a risky role as the thoroughly dis-likable assassin. And visually, especially, Sinatra's's quite good. As a result, when Baron says he would be nothing without his gun, Sinatra's scrawny non-Hollywood appearance confirms the fact. Just as importantly, he gives the would-be assassin the right kind of nervous edge.

There's a fairly obvious theme working through the screenplay namely that despite pacifist wishes, violence does have a moral place in life. As events in the movie turn out, the only way to stop Baron's immoral use of violence is with morally sanctioned counter-violence. The screenplay makes the point by showing us that had Pidge gone along with Mom's anti-gun wishes, the assassination plot would have succeeded. So fortunately-- the movie implies-- when push comes to shove, Pidge follows the men in his life and the plot fails.

For Cold War audiences of the day, the political lesson is pretty clearonly guns and muscle will stop Soviet plans to destroy "The American Way". Of course, the film never identifies the authors of the plot, but I'm sure audiences came to the obvious political conclusion. It's probably also telling that guns are identified with manly men and only a frightened woman, the mother, opposes them. Mom's doubts may be understandable given her husband's violent death. However, by ignoring Mom's wishes, no matter how understandable, Pidge comes to represent a future in which gun violence and armed national defense will continue to be morally necessary. Beneath the surface, it appears, lies some pretty heavy symbolism.

Subtexts aside, Suddenly remains a gripping film even this many years later. That's pretty darn good for a cheap production using basically one set for most of the action. But, I expect it's really the touchy subject matter that continues to excite viewers and separate the film from more routine suspensers of the day.


SUDDENLY is a great example of a film that is exceptionally simple but it manages to pack a mighty wallop. I noticed one reviewer questioned why Sinatra made this film after his success (and an Oscar) in FROM HERE TO ETERNITY, but I thought it was a wonderful showcase for his talents--giving him a chance to act without all the props and distractions you'd find in most films.

The film is set in the town of Suddenly. Unknown to most of the town is that the President's train will be stopping in town today. Secret service agents have arrived in town to make sure the coast is clear. While this is all standard procedure, what they don't know is that a team of three hoods HAVE come to town to kill the man. Frank Sinatra and his two lesser hoods have staked out a home overlooking the train station and have introduced themselves to the family as FBI agents. Their real purpose is unknown until one of the agents arrives at the home with the Sheriff. After a brief gun battle, the Sheriff is wounded and the agent is dead. Now, the gang holds the family hostage until the President's train stops...and they kill him with a high-powered rifle.

Despite a very, very simple plot and a relatively low budget, the film manages to do a lot thanks to exceptional writing and acting. Frank Sinatra's character is complex and interesting. Sterling Hayden, as usual, is very solid and tough. The rest are also very good--not a bum performance among them.

In many ways, the film is similar to the exceptional Bogart film, THE DESPERATE HOURS (which is also about a family being held hostage by a gang) as well as the real-life killing of John Kennedy in 1963. While it is a myth that Sinatra had SUDDENLY withdrawn from circulation following this assassination, it is chilling how similar this film was with the murder by Oswald.

Overall, a very tight and suspenseful film from start to finish. It sure gives a great "bang for the buck". Exceptional throughout.


In my lifetime, the assassination of John F. Kennedy changed everything. America lost it's innocence on that Dallas morning over forty years ago, and I came away from this movie with the thought that maybe the film makers were subconsciously looking ahead to when such an event in modern times might not be so much conjecture, but something almost inevitable. Precautions for the assassination of the President in 1963 were probably about on a par with what was disclosed in this story, but who would have thought to check the upper floors of the Book Depository building? Interestingly, the name of Dwight Eisenhower was never mentioned in "Suddenly".

There was also a unique observation made in the picture by Frank Sinatra's character, Johnny Baron. Speaking to Sheriff Tod Shaw (Sterling Hayden) about the momentous nature of his intent, Johnny declares - "...the first man they shoot to the moon in a rocket will take pains too, it's just never been done before". Two eerily prophetic observations made by the same story to become realized within the coming decade.

In reading some of the comments from other posters on this board, I was struck by the number of those who took issue with the picture's overt message about guns, particularly the number of times the subject was brought up and reinforced throughout the story. It did seem heavy handed and forced after a while, and I remember how a 1957 TV Western broached the subject much more effectively without getting in your face. I refer to the series opener of 'Colt .45', when Wayde Preston defends his occupation as a traveling gun salesman - "When guns are outlawed, only outlaws will have guns". That idea didn't have to be repeated for the rest of the episode.

Overall, I found the story to be generally suspenseful, but had to question a number of scenes that didn't quite ring true. Right after Carney and the Sheriff were shot, the Benson's and Shaw were left unsupervised in another room just a bit too long to be credible. A similar scene occurred in 1957's "The Desperate Hours" with Bogey at the helm in charge of similarly inept henchmen. I'm sure many viewers picked up on the cap-gun exchange for Pop's hidden pistol as being something of a stretch. The topper for me though was when Pidge fired the errant shot and threw the gun across the room, and Johnny Baron didn't bother to worry about who might go after it. In that split second, you just knew that Johnny deserved whatever he got.


Disregard the bashing you have heard on Sterling Hayden's acting. It is the result of modern computer nerds who think every character has to be a video arcade one dimensional stereotypical psycho, and who have no idea on the world outside their computers. This is a well directed, well acted, exciting adventure of an isolated group of people terrorized by bad guys. In this case, the bad guys are three assassins out to kill the president of the United States as he visits a small town. Sinatra gets the ham role of the top killer. As in real life, the leader is often the least qualified, and most suicidal. He has Shakespearean tragic fallacies in his character that look ready to doom him and his men. But will the doom be too late to save the people he kidnapped? Believable characters and an overall good script make this film one that makes the modern gangster movie look pitiful. Not for the computer nerd or modern video game dork who can't stand three dimensional characters, psychos and bad guys who aren't invulnerable, or believable reactions. But definitely for most people.


Suddenly is one of my all time favourite films, mainly due to Sinatra's excellent performance. Sterling Hayden is as always Sterling Hayden, not much of a surprise there. Sinatra, however, begins the film with the portrayal of a cocksure hit-man who seems to be an ice cold control freak. Throughout the film, a cat and mouse game between Hayden and Sinatra unfolds resulting in Sinatra losing his cool. The cold blooded killer, slowly and bit by bit, turns into a deranged psychopath. This is certainly one of the most impressive performances I have ever seen in my life and shows what a fine actor Sinatra was. All in all, it's a fairly unspectacular B movie with not much of a story that turns into a nail bitingly exciting game of life and death between the two men. A must see.


The movie focuses about US President protected by Secret Service(Willis Bouchey as Chief agent) who passes through small and peaceable town called Suddenly where only the sheriff(Sterling Hayden)execute the law. One house inhabited by a grandfather(James Gleason),a widow(Nancy Gates) and son is ideal place for a criminal scheme by means of an ambush, designed and pulled off by ominous murderers commanded by an ruthless psycho assassin(Frank Sinatra).

The film has emotion,strain,suspense,thriller and although is majority developed on interior scenarios ,it doesn't make bored neither tired. Release was withdrawn from circulation for the Dallas magnicide(1963) because the events are pretty similar.Frank Sinatra(JFK's friend) as producer ordered the retaining copies and the movie was forgotten,however long time after was issued in video market and obtained many success. Frank Sinatra interpretation is top notch as the cruel and brutal killer,his acting is magnificent,he's the best.Attractive Nancy Gates is the pacifist widow who hates the guns and embittered for husband's death during WWII.Sterling Hayden interprets properly a kind and valiant police believer of the American way of life.James Gleason as stiff and rigid veteran is very fine.Atmospheric cinematography and agreeable music by David Raksin(author of Laura's score film).The motion picture is accurately directed by Lewis Allen(director of a some cinema noir's classics).Rating : Interesting ,worthwhile seeing and it will like to Frank Sinatra fans.


In the city of Suddenly, three gangsters trap the Benson family in their own house, on the top of a hill nearby the railroad station, with the intention of killing the president of the USA.

This storyline produced a great tense and suspenseful movie, with an excellent performance of Frank Sinatra, as the chief of the bandits. It is not a long story (runtime 75 min.), therefore the viewer does not get tired, since most of the plot happens in the interior of the Benson's house. There are two very important approaches in this film: the first, of course, is president Kennedy being shot some years later. Another point is the idea of household trapped in their own home, very well explored in 'The Desperate Hours (1955)', therefore, one year later. Of course with the values of 2003, some parts and situations of this movie sounds ridiculous in the present days. For example, nowadays the dialogs of Ellen, Pidge and Sheriff Todd regarding the use of guns are funny and politically incorrect. But when watching a movie, the viewer must be conscious of the values of the society when the film was produced. My vote is eight.

Title (Brazil): "Meu Ofício É Matar" ("My Office Is to Kill")


SUDDENLY is an unexpected surprise of a movie. Interesting assination plot with some terrific acting by FRANK SINATRA and most of the cast. NANCY GATES, quite a beauty, is one of the best of the supporting cast. She would later play a small role with SINATRA in SOME CAME RUNNING. SPOILER ALERT: The ending is telegraphed early on. The talk of GATES hatred of guns and not wanting her son to play with a toy one comes to use at the end. I knew it was coming. Another telegraphed scene is when grandpa is talking to grandson about the voltage of the TV and the danger it would be with spilt water. It all comes to play at the end. Too bad this isn't remastered because the current DVD version is an obivious public domain copy. How did this little gem fall into public domain anyway??? See this for the neat little thriller it is and for SINATRAS dynamic performance.


Sinatra plays a psychopath who takes several people as hostages in his attempt to shoot the USA President. The film is short and deft, and it takes itself seriously, that is it spares us of gags and laughs. (I have seen relatively few Sinatra moviesthe famous Clift/Lancaster WW 2 drama, and a couple of Tony Rome installments that were for me a kind of cult late _noirs.) As the lead in SUDDENLY, given being his role, Sinatra displayed a marvelous talent.

In SUDDENLY (the name of a small town where the action takes place), Sinatra's role comes not from the cinema line of character acting, but from life and from a genuine inspiration. In many ways, Sinatra was even above his role.

The young Sinatra owed a part of his delicious nonchalance onscreen to his previous experience as a showmanthe man was vastly experienced and managed exquisitely his presence.Yet he goes far beyond a vaudeville nonchalance and gives life to a firmly existing psychopath that activates as a hit--man.

This small action drama has a very well made script, concise, economic, clear, dense. Hayden is not a bad actor, either (but, of course, totally eclipsed by the far more striking Sinatra ).

It would seem tempting to call the film far ahead of its time; in fact, as a superior thriller and a succinct action dramaof excellent taste, dynamic sense and sustained drama and elastic, steely style , Lewis Allen's SUDDENLY is far above many corny '50s movies that look clumsy and even dolt. Yet SUDDENLY is, in fact, an exponent of "the other '50s" (just as there are exponents of the other '30s, '40s, '50s), worthy pieces of style and taste.(The movie was badly ,wrongly defined. I have read that "the themes of violence, sense of claustrophobia and despair mark the film as completely amoral"this is crap and can only come from someone who has not actually seen the movie .On the outside, SUDDENLY not only is not amoralbut it is somehow moralizing .There's no claustrophobia (not above the amount expectable from a hostages drama )not some that would define the movie. And the invoked 'despair' is but a gross, pedestrian approximation for Sinatra's lively ,remarkable part. ) There is an immensely enjoyable gusto in Sinatra's highly sparkling youth roles. I have seen quite a few nice roles of hostagesholdersin various registersthe superbly theatrical one (Rourke in Cimino's DESPERATE HOURS), the comic books one (Savallas, or the different villains in the DIE HARD seriesto quote something from the commercial genres). Sinatra's role in SUDDENLY certainly stands out for having this incredible sharpness ,matched with a limpidity that should set an example for all actors doing such villain roles. And notice also how instinctively subtle is Sinatra in resolutely refusing to resort to a 'character acting'. The young Sinatra's powerhouse vigor was taken and transformed into sharpness by being coordinated by an innate (I suppose) artistic understanding. Compared with what this young man could do, most of other movie villains look like what they truly arecharacter actors. There is a nervous elegance in the way Sinatra (not too) rapidly sketches and defines his part. He is not at all standard in his portrayal because, as he clearly shows it, he does not begin from cinema clichés, but from a true grasp of his role's requirements. This resolute realism makes him honor; he made no largerthanlife, no overthetop hoodlum, but a psychopath portrayed with sharpness and volubility and this manly clarity that signs Sinatra's early parts.

Sinatra's role is beautifully engineered, yet with sobriety and taste, and he naturally dominates the stage, eclipses all others, crushes mercilessly any other screen presence. On a triple levelin life,on screen and in his advertised, promoted public personaSinatra was a predator. This ferocious quality spices his best roles, as wellas a mobile, shrewd, agile, violent hoodlum.

The whole cast of SUDDENLY look like people meaning to make a serious small drama, and not looking cool or posing for their fans or preoccupied to look the coolest ever. The performances are deprived of the smallminded narcissism that defines so many of the _noirs. What matters to the actors in SUDDENLY is the movie, and not their own persona. Welleswise, the actors in KANSAS CITY CONFIDENTIAL were trying, striving to be cool and representative; almost nothing of this sort in SUDDENLY. The film here is also deprived that all that was schmaltzy in the '50s, the schmaltzy approach of the '50s .

For Sinatra,his role was not about posing or looking cool.

You see?DETOUR meant espousing fatalism and nihilism; KANSAS CITY CONFIDENTIAL meant flirting with the coolness, with the narcissism and coolness of the image; SUDDENLY means playing it straight.


It seems the President will be stopping at the little town of Suddenly CA on his way to Los Angeles. Crazy killer Johnnie (Frank Sinatra) comes into town and holds a family hostage to use their house as a place to kill the President from.

This is dated in a lot of ways--the violence is extremely toned down, there's next to no blood (even when one man is shot at least 30 times!) and the killers are actually way too nice. Still, it is short (only about 75 minutes), moves quickly and has some good acting. Top billed Frank Sinatra is great. This is his first film (and I think only one) playing a totally amoral criminal. Every time he's on screen you can't stop watching him. Nancy Gates as one of the hostages is also good. The rest of the cast ranges from OK to disastrous--especially Sterlinh Hayden who is stone-faced throughout. The film looks cheap too and the print I saw was in terrible shape. Still this is worth catching just for Sinatra's acting. He holds this together. Remade (disasterously) as "The Desperate Hours" in 1990. Now THAT'S a bad film!!!!

"Ellen will you please stop being a woman!"


Sinatra was OK, but Sterling Hayden was just _SO_ shallow and seemed to be rushing thru some of his scenes like he had something more important to get to. My wife and I both burst out laughing at some of the scenes. For instance, in the opening scene when the the guy asks the deputy what the name of this town is and the deputy says "Suddenly." "Suddenly what?" the guy responds, and the deputy says "No, that's the name of the town: Suddenly." I guess this was an attempt at humor, but the humorous part was when the camera pans back showing that the guy and the deputy are right underneath this huge roadside sign that says "Welcome to Suddenly."

Maybe that scene subliminally set the tone for the rest of the movie in my mind.

I had not checked the IMDB rating before we watched it so I was surprised that it had a 7.0 avg. rating so I'm definitely in the minority but it just didn't generate any suspense (IMHO).


Charlie Sykes (Chad Lowe) and his girlfriend Rachel Clark (Kristy Swanson) are traveling to Las Vegas to secretly get married to each other. The decide to follow through a secondary road, and while fueling their car in "Sam's Last Chance" gas station, they are advised by the owner and attendant Sam (Richard Farnsworth) to not sleep after the second tree in the road. They fall asleep in the car, and a policeman arrests Rachel. Charlie returns to the gas station, and Sam tells him that she has been arrested by a Hellcop, and he has to go to hell if he wants to rescue his fiancée.

"Highway to Hell" is a gem underrated in IMDb. I have seen this cult-movie at least six times, and I really love it. I have an used VHS, and I do not know why this movie has never been released on DVD. The clumsy baby face hero Chad Lowe has a great adventure trying to bring his girlfriend back from Hell. The now famous Ben Stiller, in the beginning of his career, is very hilarious in the role of a cook, and also as Attila the Hun at the table with Hitler and Cleopatra. The special effects and the music score are very good and I really recommend this movie for fans of a trash and funny original adventure. My vote is eight.

Title (Brazil): "Estrada Para o Inferno" ("Highway to Hell")


You have to be in the right mood. It helps if you know what to expect. If you see this on cable, SNAG IT! Cameos by the Stiller clan are priceless. Good fun! Why does this have a rating of 5.1? No sense of humor! Why is this not on DVD? As a dealer of rare VHS (and DVD) the answer is standard. The copyright owner has gone out of business / has not had any licensing offers and is not prepared to reprint and market on their own. There are thousands of such titles which is why there is a flourishing industry of reprint labels like Alpha Video and many others. We make a good living finding and selling existing copies of movies like this. This is one of many titles that I had not heard of but the high demand for used VHS copies got my attention. I have discovered many enjoyable unknown gems this way.


Watch out for this one! It starts out as a slight horror comedy, gets increasingly more bizarre as it goes along, and finally adds up to something almost visionary. Certainly one of the most original and offbeat horror films to come out in a long time, this one almost demands a second viewing just to appreciate the imaginative production design, and a third just to catch all the throwaway gags (a sign reads "Road To Nowhere" and, in smaller letters, "Don't Buckle Up. It Won't Help"). Good cast, too, with Patric Bergin being perfectly enigmatic in the first half, perfectly imposing in the second. How refreshing to finally find a film that breaks away from the traditional formulas and dares to do something new and different! (***1/2)


HtH is basically a comedy, accompanied by the overacting talents of the Stillers, Anne Meara, and Gilbert Gottfried. There's some nice plays on Christianity, the Devil as a mildly sympathetic (or at least likeable) figure, and Lowe and Swanson make a likeable enough couple. There's nothing really "horrific" here. Rather, Helegeland indulges in a lot of satirical writing. Look for how highways are paved in Hell, and Cerberus guarding the gates, for some more amusing scenes. Basically an underrated and underviewed movie that deserves more attention. Check it out if you can.


''Highway to Hell '' is one of my favorite horror movies! I don't remember exactly my age when I watched it for the first time(I think I was 11) but since the time I watched for the first time until now I cannot be tired of the story! With some funny elements and also a different plot, ''Hghway to Hell'' starts when Charlie and his girlfriend Rachel are running away from their homes to marry. Charlie is very worried with the possibility of Rachel's parents have asked the police to search her, and they go as fast as they can to a different road.In the middle of the road, they stop in a gas station, and they are alerted by Sam, an old man, to not sleep at the road between the strange trees. Charlie does not pay much attention and Murphy's law happens: he gets sleepy and Hellcop, a bizarre and monstrous cop, takes Rachel to Hell. Charlie now needs to go to Hell , with Sam's help he gets a car from the 50's and a special gun, to destroy the monsters and save his girl.

One funny fact was to see Ben Stiller in the beginning of his career in the role of the cook from the Hell...I would never remember he made this movie!


I caught this movie a long time ago, late at night, and I really enjoyed it. It just worked for me and was a lot of fun. This movie has a guy's fiancé kidnapped by some weird cop. Turns out this cop is from hell and he has taken the girl to be Satan's new bride. The guy gets some help from an old gentleman who apparently had the same thing happen to him. The old man gives the guy a gun and the guy goes to hell to get back his girl. The movie does really well at presenting hell for an obviously low budget movie. You get the feeling you are in another world. There is plenty of action and comedy here too, though not much in the way of horror. The guy gets some help here and there and runs into various obstacles along his way and he gets to see the many sights and sounds that hell has to offer. My personal favorite was the road of good intentions. This movie goes at a good clip too, and it rarely slows down and there are a few twists along the way as well. The movie for me works on almost every level and if you ever have a chance to watch this little gem do so.


Fair horror flick. Nothing too fancy, but makes for nice viewing. Perhaps lacking in the gore department, but there are some funny moments. More a horror/comedy than a gorefest.


Charle (Rob Lowe's affably boyish younger brother Chad) and Rachel (delectable blonde hottie Kristy Swanson, who originated the part of everyone's favorite bloodsucker-stomping high school cheerleader in the flop movie "Buffy the Vampire Slayer") are a sweetly pure and innocent young couple who make the usual mistake of driving down a remote desert dirt road. When Rachel gets abducted by the pernicious superhuman fiend Hellcop (hulking C.J. Graham; Jason in "Friday the 13th Part VI: Jason Lives"), Charlie literally has to go to hell to rescue Rachel within twenty-four hours or otherwise the Devil (a smoothly sneaky and ingratiating Patrick Bergin) will have her soul for all eternity.

Director Arte De Jong, working from Brian Helgeland's quirkily creative script, presents a gloriously offbeat vision of Hades in this wildly eccentric and imaginative horror-comedy-drama-action-adventure handy dandy multi-genre combo oddity. Among the arrestingly off-kilter sights to be seen in this wacked-out beaut are a greasy spoon diner populated by cops who are never served with a short order cook (a pre-stardom Ben Stiller) who fries eggs on the sidewalk, a gang of hostile bikers, a psycho ice cream man, road workers who all look like Andy Warhol, a butt-ugly libidinous lady demon, a three-headed mutant dog, and a highway with nothing but speeding Volkswagons rippin' down the road. Moreover, Lowe makes for a refreshingly wimpy and reluctant hero while Swanson registers strongly as a very fair and appealing maiden in distress. Popping up in snazzy bits are the ever-amiable Richard Farnsworth as a folksy, friendly ol' fuddy dud gas station proprietor, Pamela Gidley as a helpful motorcycle mama, 80's hard rock icon Lita Ford as a crazed hitch-hiker, stand-up comic Gilbert Gottfried as a raving neurotic Hitler, and Kevin Peter Hall as the eyeless captain of a boat which travels across the river Styx. Robin Vidgeon's bright, dazzling cinematography and a way cool bluesy'n'funky score by Hidden Faces further enhance the marvelously idiosyncratic merriment to be found in this one-of-a-kind flaky favorite.


It's been several years since I saw this film, but as low-budget as it is, I remember it was still kinda fun to watch. A guilty pleasure. Should've become a cult classic along with others like "Night of the Living Dead" and "Critters."


Must have been 16 years ago since I saw this movie for the very first time, as a kid just 10 years old. Last week I made a trip to memory lane and boy did I got entertained ! Highway to Hell tells the story of Charlie Sykes (Chad Lowe) and Rachel Clark (Kristy Swanson)on a trip to Las Vegas to get secretly married. While driving on the Interstate Charlie decides to take a shortcut but finds out he should've listened to his girlfriend and just kept driving on the main roads. They stop at a gas station for a quick fill and have a strange encounter with the attendant and owner named Sam (Richard Farnsworth). He warns Charlie not to fall asleep on the road ahead, but as you can guess this is exactly what happened. He wakes up to find out a strange cop named "Hellcop" arrests them and takes Rachel with him. Charlie hurries back to the gas station and tells Sam the situation. Sam explains he has to get to Hell because that is where Hellcop took his fiancée.

Then the adventure begins ! As a Kid I just loved the creativity of Hell and it's citizens. There's a lot of comedy in this movie, like you see in most Horror movies from this era. Horror is a genre which doesn't fit this movie well anyways. There are even Cameo's of the Stiller's ( Ben (in one of his first movies), his father Jerry and his sister ). If you're into Comedy-Horror movies then you shouldn't miss this gem. It's very underrated and to a lot of people this classic has become a cult-movie. Take this roller-coaster ride to hell and I'm sure you'll have a big smile on your face at the end.


Highway to Hell starts off as a campy 80's ish horror flick. It grabs you from the start and then holds on when our stars jump over the real world divide. The concept is ingenious and the characters are fresh. There are some great sight gags and loads of funny lines. THis is definitely better than the 5.7 rating here......I just left a review for 'The Prodigy' and I am FLABBERGASTED that it has the same rating on IMDb. This is EASILY a better film. Patrick Bergen and Chad Lowe are great adversaries and on originality alone this film deserves at least a 6-6.5 here. Pure unadulterated 'B' movie genius. Wish I could find a copy to rent. 3.5 out of five on my 'b' movie marathon list. It is very strange and not for all tastes, but HTH will forever be a cult-classic.


Charlie and Rachael are on their way to Las Vegas to elope, but when they take a back-road. They are pulled over by a demonic cop who abducts Rachael and takes her back to hell. Charlie goes back to the gas station to the old guy who warned them of what could happen. He tells Charlie that Hell cop has taken her to hell city to be married off to Satan. The only way to get her back is to venture along hell's highway and to rescue within 24 hours or both of them will be stuck there.

Who likes weird? I do! "Highway to Hell" is so unusual and extremely refreshing in its vision that I couldn't help but love its labyrinth of dazzling ideas and overall junky goodness. This fantasy-horror b-feature proves even with such a miniature budget that creativeness doesn't cost a dime. If you sport a gleefully, juicy script and a willingness to go-out there with an impulsively odd recipe (which this film definitely does), it can go a long way in the finish product.

What keeps this film really buoyant has to be its sly sense of humour, which is so resourceful in its inspired strokes and interesting diversions that feature heavily in the foreground. Campy dialogues beaming with delicious in-jokes and an odd batch of characters (loved the scene with Hitler in it) add to the rollicking madness. Watch out as the blistering pace clocks over the speed limit with such ease and driving this is a seeping, novel music score and spanking soundtrack. Ate De Jong's direction is crackling with verve and unsparing thrills. While the cheap foundation shows up prominently, he manages to work around it superbly. Robin Vidgeon's stylishly soothing camera-work is another colourful contribution that has no has boundaries.

A fine cast really do kick in here. Chad Lowe smoothly fits in as the gawky, but jittery, strong-willed heroine Charlie. The exquisite Kristy Swanson is very likable with a certain edge about her character Rachael. Patrick Bergin reeks of charisma and is very convincing in his deceitful role. C.J. Graham is very imposing as the hell cop figure. Look out for Ben Stiller who chips in with a hilarious performance/s. Making up the rest of the solid performances are Richard Farnsworth, Lita Ford, Adam Stroke, Pamela Gidley and Gilbert Gottfried.

This spaced-out pearler is grand fun and features one hell of a romp.


Late night films don't get much better than this. As the story went on the plot got more and more ridiculous and entertaining. I was surprised with a little cameo by Ben Stiller. The main character was a bit of a lost soul and his lady (who once played a great Buffy the Vampire Slayer) seemed a bit more mature. I found many of the citizens of hell to be decent characters and enjoyed their roles in the film. When the movie was over i thought about what a waste of time it was. Yet I found myself watching it a couple weeks later, what else am i gonna do at one on a Saturday night. If you plan on watching some cheesy movie on a non cable channel, Highway to Hell is the best one you could see.


OK, so it's not Oscar winning material, but I don't think it was meant to be. "Highway to Hell" is a fun flick about a couple on their way to Las Vegas to get married. They are eloping and to steer clear of the "authorities", they take a back road that turns into an entrance to hell. Yeah, it's corny but it's very entertaining and very well done.

For the most part the acting is very good and the production including scenery and music are top notch. I loved the fact that "Hitler" is played by Gilbert Gottfried! Anne Meara, Ben Stiller, and the lovable Richard Farnsworth are also in the film as well as the late Kevin Peter Hall. As always, Chad Lowe does an A+ performance as "Charlie". I loved "Hell Cop" too. This is a fun movie! (I have not watched this film in over 10 years but I still enjoy remembering it.)

This is another film that should be available on DVD. The purchase information shows the VHS tape available in Canada, but it really isn't (out of print). The movie industry would make more money if these old films were made available. There are lots of films I would love to have in my personal collection. This is definitely one of them!


When you aren't plenty of financial resources you use more your imagination. In this case Ate de Jong & Brian Helgeland indeed made a great use of their imagination. Truth be told; this is a light movie, the dark and horror elements are included in a fantasy context. But that doesn't make this a bad horror tale, Highway To Hell not only is a very imaginative B-flick, it's remarkable and demented (in a good sense of course); that makes it a piece hard to forget.

The concept of hell of Helgeland is very original, there's some Dante's references here and there but mostly is Helgeland's merit all the wild ideas. A great detail is that the hero of the tale is a common kid, who finds his bravery facing the monsters he finds in the underworld.

The creatures are fabulous, especially the she-demon that disguises herself as the girlfriend Rachel Clark and the Sgt Bedlam of course. Don't expect gallons of blood, there's a lot of creature's blood but not human beings' blood. This is more like metaphysical fantasy not a slaughtering. It can be enjoyed by teens and older people. The script is better than many of Helgeland's modern scripts (specially those movies starring Heath Ledger). It was released in the early 90's, back when it wasn't a good move release a film like this one.

Also there are some notorious names in the cast list, whether you are interested in B-movie stars (Patrick Bergin, Kristy Swanson), rockers from the 80's (Lita Ford) or the early apparitions of today's Hollywood stars (Ben Stiller).


One of my favorite aspects of this film is how you are fully drawn into 'Hell'. In short it some what reminds me of a mad max crossed with the movie Legend on an HBO budget. However all those elements come together for a very entertaining and interesting far fetched story line. I hope this one gets put out on DVD! Gave it a 10!


I saw this enjoyable movie several years ago and it always sticks in my mind as a fun little flick. There are a lot of in-jokes that people who aren't b-flick movie buffs, like myself, probably won't get.

My favorite was on Patrick Bergen's towtruck, the inscription reading "Satanic Mechanic" (an allusion to "Rocky Horror Picture Show"). I also got a kick out of Hitler and Attila the Hun playing cards together...

The cameos by the Stiller family (Ben Stiller, Jerry Stiller, Anne Meara) are great fun too as well as the ever so lucious Lita Ford "Sex drugs and rock n roll, baby").

I also enjoyed Hellcop, who's played by CJ Graham, who was Jason in "Friday the 13th, Part 6" and who is now a general manager at a local Las Vegas Casino. Also, be sure to check some of the carvings in his face...a lot of cute in-jokes there as well ;)

A fun movie that doesn't take itself too seriously (so neither should you), though it does lag a bit in a few places.... 9/10


Creative and original horror comedy about an eloping teen's girlfriend who is abducted by a cop from Hell---literally. The late Richard Farnsworth plays mentor to the teen (Chad Lowe), and soon the boy is off to the netherworld to save his bride-to-be. Only mildly suspenseful, but works better as a self-parody, with dashes of loopy humor and supporting characters the like. The Hell cop (played by FRIDAY THE 13TH PART 6's C.J. Graham) is particularly amusing.

**1/2 out of ****.

MPAA: Rated R for violence and brief nudity.


This thing is really funny. There's some gross bits, like with Hellcop, but Patrick Bergin as the devil is very suave and funny. Ben Stiller pops up as about four different supporting characters, and his dad Jerry is in there too somewhere. I should track this down at my local video store! I haven't seen it in a while. Good fun.


...but when was the last time you saw Richard Farnsworth and metal queen Lita Ford in the same movie? Vacuous young lovers driving through the Nevada desert meet up with a demon cop who abducts the girl to Hell City. Low-budget, would-be cult item needed a lot more imagination and drive (and finance) to succeed. Straight-to-tape cheapie does have a few genuine highlights: I liked the demon policeman and his fire-breathing car, Chad Lowe's dog was kinda cute, and of course music-vixen Lita Ford's fun cameo as a sexy hitchhiker from Hates. This was something of a family affair for the Jerry Stiller clan, featuring curious appearances from Jerry, his wife Anne Meara, and their kids, Ben and Amy Stiller. *1/2 from ****


Just because this film bears a typically Troma-like title, and features the Troma logo on the packaging, don't make the mistake of thinking it is a Troma productionbecause it isn't.

It is, in fact, a low-budget Belgian film that was simply picked up for distribution by the studio, and, as far as I am concerned, it is much more enjoyable than the majority of Lloyd Kaufman's own B-movie output.

In this delightfully silly and very gory romp, a group of greedy relatives gather together at the mansion of their two elderly aunts, in order to attend their birthday celebrations (and hopefully worm their way into their aunts' wills). However, when the old women open a surprise birthday present (sent by the black sheep of the familya practitioner of the black arts), they become possessed, transform into vicious, drooling, bloodthirsty monsters, and proceed to tear their party guests limb from limb.

If you're a fan of visceral OTT slapstick horrorparticularly Sam Raimi's Evil Dead trilogy (which this film is obviously heavily influenced by) or the early work of Peter Jackson (whose similarly daft Bad Taste came out the same year)then Rabid Grannies should be right up your alley. Director Emmanuel Kervyn spends the first thirty minutes introducing us to his raft of absurdly unlikeable characters (none of whom really deserve to survive 'til the end credits), and the next sixty dismembering them in as many inventive and silly ways as possible. It might not be Oscar winning material, but it's a whole heap of fun!

Considering the limited budget, the juicy effects on display are pretty damn good, and the film sure doesn't hold back with the nastiness: one man has his limbs hacked off, before being impaled (between the legs) on a pike; a fat guy gets stuck trying to escape, and has his ass eaten; and even a little girl gets reduced to spare parts by the demonic old dears!

7.5 out of 10, rounded up to 8 for IMDb.


There is great fun to be had here. Please, do not watch this film and expect ANYTHING redeeming because you will not find one single thing. This is Troma, expect bad acting, plenty of gore, random sex and nudity and an insanely ridiculous and nonsensical plot.

Two Aunts (yeah, I know it is called Rabid Grannies.....) are holding are birthday party and they invite the family to their huge mansion. All the family arrive (a lesbian couple, a gun maniac, a horny cousin, a family and another couple) for dinner to be held at night. When dinner is finished and present time comes the two aunts open a package that was delivered by an old lady earlier that night. It is from the black sheep of the family, a satanist. The present turns the two aunts into big, ugly demon creatures who proceed to eat everyone they see (including a poor little girl).

After half an hour of stupid dialogue, awful dubbing (and acting for that matter) and random stupidity the gore kicks in. There isn't a whole lot of it but there's a good amount and it's usually extremely funny and gruesome. Most of the movie is pure comedy though, with such scenes as one of the grannies wearing a suit of armour (dunno why), a fat man getting his arse eaten and a little boy saying, "That's smashing!" while watching a guest being eaten.

3½/5


"They Love their grandchildren...well done!" This is the tag-line for the bizarre foreign horror flick "Rabid Grannies". This film is distributed by Troma films and despite the negative reviews it has received, I found it to be a lot of fun! Yes the acting is bad...the effects aren't terrible for a B movie but they aren't great either but that's not the point here. There are several horribly offensive scenes such as the one where the child is murdered or the one where the overweight gentleman literally has his ass eaten out. The murder of the priest is also religiously offensive but if you're a religious person, I doubt you'd be watching a film titled "Rabid Grannies". This film is just plain fun to watch...it has just the right amount of blood, guts, gore, murder, madness, mayhem with a little lesbianism and demonology thrown in for good measure!


Referring to "Rabid Grannies" as it being a great movie would be a crime against all forms of good taste, but it's nevertheless a film that every horror-loving Belgian should be sincerely proud of! Our very own demented splatter flick, yay! And, all prejudices of myself being Belgian aside, one of the most entertaining splatter flicks of the entire 80's decade! If you manage to track down a fully uncut version (loads of copies suffer from severe censorship, despite the rights being owned by Troma Productions), you will be exposed to outrageous gore, absurd characters and over-the-top situations. Screw build up of tension and story lines that make sense! Acting performances, continuity or editing aren't important neither and we definitely don't care about decent dubbing jobs! All that matters here is insanity and GORE! The Remington family members all gather at their spinster aunts' mansion for a birthday celebration. They all hate each other, and the old bags even more, but there's quite an immense fortune to inherit soon, so they all behave friendly. The party really gets started when the aunts open a present coming from a banished nephew that turns them into mad carnivorous monsters! No matter where the invitees hide throughout the house, the hungry grannies will find them. The first 30 minutes are rather tame in the gore-department, but still amusing because of the hilariously inept acting and crazy character drawings. We have pretentious lesbians, a cowardly priest and a businessman dealing in weapons. Once the grannies are loose, the film turns into a non-stop splatter party with no limits or boundaries. We're treated to cheesy decapitations, pieces of brains flying around, disembowelment, hacked up torsos and ripped out eyeballs! In order to get rid of that last remaining bit of political correctness, this movie even features the sadistic dismemberment of an 8-year-old girl's legs. Now here's something you don't see every day! "Rabid Grannies" will most likely rank among the favorites of undemanding Troma-groupies, but it's even good enough to recommend it to fans of Peter Jackson's earlier work ("Bad Taste", "Meet the Feebles"). Bon Appetit!


I was 10 years old (now 26) and this film was the first gore horror i laid my eyes on and it's mentally scared me in a way.

Now and again i watch the odd clip of it on youtube and even now it gives me this strange feeling that 'i don't really want to be watching this'..

Even though, since... i've seen hundreds of gory films, but this one is still implanted in my head, possibly because it was my first.

Even the front cover of the video, with the little girl and the two rabid grannies stood behind her freaks me out.

Maybe i should talk about the plot... well, there isn't one. It doesn't need one really. It's just a couple of Grannies ripping their claws through a bunch of middle class relatives. I don't even think they're rabid from what i remember!?

The setting of a remote mansion works really well, gives it a creepy feel to the daftness going on inside the house.

On the downside, the films English dubbing doesn't really do it any justice, making it into more of a comedy than an actual horror. I'd like to watch the subtitled version, if one exists, to see if takes away that comedic effect.

My verdict from what i remember 7 out of 10... and thank you for poisoning my angelic childhood Grandma's.


Finally after watching Marauding Mothers, Diabolical Daddies, Wicked Sisters, Jonesin' Uncles and Perverted Twins, I arrived at Rabid Grannies. It didn't totally live up to the hype as being 10 times the movie Diabolical Daddies is but it was still pretty good.

Ya got the two grannies, who are actually aunties, who are filthy rich and throwing a birthday party for themselves, with the rest of their immediate family celebrating it with them. Well all seems to be going just divine until a weird lady with a gift shows up. The gift is actually from.....I forget the guy's relation....maybe cousin. Whatever. Well, this present holds a hideous surprise that turns this lil box-social into a full on bloodbath. Woohoo!

Rabid Grannies is a wacky friggin flick. It's got a really silly (too much sometimes) attitude and loads of fantastic make-up and gore effects that combine together to make a seriously memorable flick which should be mentioned more in hor/com discussion.

Most surprisingly about the flick, is it's creativity. There are some creepy scenes mixed with a sly almost cartoony humor that gels in a pretty unique way. There's one scene with the aunts (grannies) and a priest that is really just out there. One aunt is giving him the opportunity to off himself, while the other is telling him to fight for his life. It's really just a cool friggin scene that really had me smiling.

Even though the dialog is sometimes overly hammy, and the dubbing kinda crappy, it kinda makes the movie's ridiculous charm that much more noticeable. Which could be a good thing or bad thing, but for this guy's taste for crazy sh!t, it's a great thing. Would go nice as a double feature with Demon Knight.


When I read the title and saw the cover of the video box for this horror film I did not expect a sophisticated shocker. After taking the movie home I was however pleasantly surprised by it's humor and cheesy camp-factor. Those elements, along with the schlocky gore made the film entertaining. A family reunion hosted by two elderly, maiden sisters turns into a blood-fest. The hostesses are possessed by demons unleashed on them by an evil, vindictive and absent relative who sent them the evil spirits in the guise of a birthday gift. Upon opening their unassuming present at the dinner table in the company of their guests (family, friends and associates), the spinsters are transformed into flesh-eating fiends. Here's where the movie takes off and takes off it does! After the first victim is killed while seated at the table the rest of the guests flee for their lives in a spontaneous and morbid game of hide-and-seek. They scatter in all directions hiding from the blood-thirsty matrons while searching for escape from the locked-down manor they're trapped in. Here is where the film provides suspense as we feel the victims' claustrophobic tension. The deaths, which are grisly and at times humorous are still effective. While the plot is predictable the film does hold some surprises. For example the movie contains some typical characters found in horror films but the twist is the fact that some of these "typical" characters who are usually spared in most horror films (simply for moral reasons) are killed here. If you're a fan of the horror genre you will appreciate this mixture of (unintentional?)humor, gore and scares.


I'm sure it's not meant to be funny but it's so ... cheesy that one can't help but to laugh from start to finish. There were some "duh" moments involved but even they were laughable. I highly recommend this Troma release to anybody who loves independent movies. Go TROMA!


This movie is really bad!!! We just rent it yesterday and I was pretty disappointed. I thought by the title and the cover that it would be a little scaring and funny but...

Come on, the first 30 minutes are so boring!!!! The actors are the worst that I've ever seen play in a movie. The horror scenes are bad most of the time. I mean, it is a movie that will scare a 8 years old kid, but not adult. It is gore???? Maybe but a cheap gore. You can't relate to any character because of the bad acting and because they all seems odd. You wish that everyone die at the end. The horror scenes could have been great but it was poorly directed.

Did I laugh? Yes. I laugh about the stupidity of the character and because of some great quotes. But it did not help me to like it. I wished that it would end quickly.

My vote? 1/10


I had read only bad reviews about this movie, but I decided to try to find it anyway. When I did, I wished that I had saved my money. I love the title of this movie, and I love cheap, gory movies like Redneck Zombies and Blood Feast, but this movie wasn't funny or gory. It took over an hour for the grannies to open the present that turns them rabid. In that hour the actors talk and talk and talk about things that are truly useless and extremely boring. When the grannies turned rabid I was hoping the movie could redeem itself by having some cool gore or humor, or anything besides talk, instead we are supposed to be scared that the grannies are chasing the people around the big castle house thing. After listening to the stupid people talk for over an hour I just wanted to see them die quickly, I didn't care that they tried to escape. What a terrible movie...Don't be fooled by the title.


The only reason I didn't give this movie higher marks was because of its ridiculously slow start and poor dubbing. It finally takes off once everyone FINALLY gets to the party. Excellent character development and superb special effects! I spent an hour or two, after finishing the movie, going through the awesome bonus features included on the DVD version like their Trivia Intelligence Test (TIT) where they flash you clips of boobies every time you answer a question correctly! If you get it wrong you get to see a gory clip! It's a win-win situation! I haven't seen any other movies made by Troma, but after seeing this one (as well as the clips included in the bonus material) I will more than likely rent/buy more of them. You should check this movie out.


Ah... what a wonderful and wacky world, Troma. Its' own veritable Disney-Land of the perverse, strange, wild, offensive, tasteless, unique, and often brilliant. Where few other films have dared to go. What many filmmakers only dream or fantasize doing... Troma is one of the world's leading, and only still truly, independent sources of films. Their reputation made with the shockingly cheap and shockingly bad; 1976's Blood Sucking Freaks, 1984's The Toxic Avenger, and 1997's Tromeo & Juliet - among others. One could say they sought to bring the same attitude of much of the films considered "video nasties" in the U.K. to America, putting some of the most grotesque and shocking things ever seen onto movie screens. They acquired a cult following, and with the success of Avenger and its' sequels, 1985's Class of Nuke 'Em High, and 1990's Sgt. Kabukiman NYPD, began distributing somewhat more respectable films from clearly more ambitious directors. Including 1983's Monster in the Closet (the greatest horror parody I've ever seen), 1990's daring and smart Def by Temptation, and this little Belgian import, Rabid Grannies.

Grannies is a darkly absurd and ingeniously subversive splatter film about two kindly old aunts and their horrible family of shameless, opportunistic ne'er-do-wells involved in all sorts of underhanded doings. When the aunts host a dual Birthday party, the cousins swarm in from all around to put on an act of smirking, fingers-crossed behind-their-back sincerity, each hoping to con the wealthy women into leaving them a chunk of their vast estate and fortune. Meanwhile, the aunts' house staff know all about the double timing and dirty tricks but keep their mouths shut because the women are so close to senility, they probably wouldn't believe them. And so begins the decadent dinner party, where the cousins stab each other in the back and try to raise doubt in another's reputation with the aunts, hoping to make themselves look better by comparison. Until the aunts receive a mysterious surprise gift with a letter from a disinherited cousin who decides not to attend the Birthday party, wishing them all the best. However, when the old ladies open it, they become possessed by evil spirits and mutate into cannibalistic, demonic zombies, hungry for human flesh. And they're not above feasting on their deviously immoral loved ones.

What makes Grannies so brilliant is how well thought-out and smart it is. Yes, the cousins are all despicable, loathsome things. But, when the gore starts to fly, and the death scenes become increasingly mean-spirited and frighteningly intense (the film's one legitimate flaw), you start to see the humanity in them. Even the worst of people have their human side, all evil has an understandable motivation. By that virtue, the sweet old aunt characters are not entirely clean themselves. They are judgmental - especially to the lesbian cousin and her girlfriend, patronizing to their loyal butler Radu (a smarter version of Manuel from Fawlty Towers), and religiously elitist. But they're also kind and charitable (as we see, they help out a homeless beggar in the street), you have to feel bad for them. A little. And finally, when the aunts become possessed, they are suddenly filled with a sense of perception they were missing before. They now see right through all the smiling, lying faces of their nasty relatives, and are not exactly forgiving of all their bad deeds and deception.

Most important to mention is a scene where the demons confront one of their cousins, a priest who hates kids. The first hands him a machine gun and suggests (in a more overt fashion than, but still in the mood of, Agatha Christie's And Then There Were None) that he kill himself to spare him the agony of being viciously ripped apart. The second tells him not to trust the first because, if the priest kills himself, he will go to hell; suggesting- is an eternity of suffering in the afterlife worth sparing him a few minutes of agony in his current life? They continue bouncing pros and cons off each other, playing a game with him, basically betting over what his choice will be. It's a razor-sharp and clever scene that highlights the film's devilish intelligence and witty subversiveness. Of course, it also goes a little too far as times. Never moreso than when a certain cousin on the plump side has his leg carved open and slowly stabbed, licked, chewed, and devoured by the putrid, alien-like demons. Maybe leaving a little to our imaginations is a good thing.

The film deftly marries elements from 1982's Creepshow, 1987's Dolls, 1985's Demons, and 1981's The Evil Dead, including- the greedy family salivating over an old relative's fortune, being trapped in huge old creepy castle-like mansion, demonic possession from the essence of a somewhat ancient object, and of course, the sadistic murderous zombies with sharp teeth and claw-like fingers. Rabid Grannies would also go on to inspire other rabid grannies in Peter Jackson's 1992 cult classic, Dead Alive (aka- Braindead), and Luca (Ghoulies) Bercovici's grimy little 1995 cheapie, The Granny, whose gore was not nearly as savaged as Rabid Grannies'. Grannies has had an unfortunate DVD history in the eyes of gorehounds. Troma has never cut the film back to its' original uncensored European version. So the film's plentiful, impressive gore effects can only be seen in a montage on Troma's DVD in the special features section- which is also missing at least one key gore sequence.


Now this is one of the worst films i've ever seen. The best way to explain why, it's as simples as this: The director is an amateur, the actors are amateurs, the script is amateur...the entire team has no clue of what a movie is. So, you can notice that the director wanted to create a horror movie, but turned out to be a comedy. I really laughed at some scenes, not because of comedy content, but because of the stupidity of some scenes that should be frightening. I would have vote 1 out of 10 but i voted 2 because of this involuntary comedy factor that is present. Don't waste time of your precious lives watching this movie.


I can honestly say that I think "Rabid Grannies" is possibly, singularly, the worst film I have ever had the chance to watch. The acting is the equivalent of a 6 year old at the very best. Its hard to see any rational reason this film ever got funding let alone anyone decided to actual make it. The story line has been replicated, to much better standards, at least a thousand times before the directors of this film were even born. The only comedy side to this film is that when the killing starts the people act as though its nothing out of the ordinary. It appears these actors regularly have zombies running around their living room. Please please please avoid this film at all costs and if you can't, try to go to sleep! I am disgusted that this film managed to get 90 Min's of my life!


I am an enormous Troma fan as well as an independent cinema fan. Movies like Bloodsucking Freaks and The Toxic Avenger are among my favorite movies.

So when I saw Rabid Grannies, the cover and title alone was enough for me. But watching it was worse than stubbing my toe repeatedly. This is extremely boring and contains very few scenes of "gore" that make the $9 budget films I make with my friends look like Guinea Pig flicks. The old broads turn into ridiculous looking monsters as oppose to just keeping their Granny forms and just being crazy (which would have been funnier). The acting mixed with bad dubbing just takes the badness too far. Stay away from this movie! Buy something better, like Gigli or something. If you like this movie I would also recommend: starring at a bottle of peanut butter for an hour and a half, listening to Michael Bolton, and/or just getting a better taste in movies. This was the first time so far Troma let me down this much. WHY'D YOU DO IT, LLOYD?! WHY?!


Two kind rich old ladies are about to have a birthday party, unfortunately their black sheep nephew has sent them a deadly present that has turned the sweet elderly sisters into nasty and nutty demons that begin to tear apart the guests one by one until some remain as the surviving guests must find a way to stop them.

Strange and mildly bloody Belgian-French-Dutch horror comedy romp that was distributed by Troma Pictures has black comedy and some gore even though some of the gore was heavily cut out to avoid an "X" rating here in America. Slow at times but worth the effort and the movie is totally in the tradition of Peter Jackson, the movie isn't really the greatest Troma movie there is cause that honor goes to "The Toxic Avenger" but it's still a good and fun horror comedy.

Watch this movie on DVD and you'll see the missing gore scenes in the deleted scenes section.

Also recommended: "The Toxic Avenger", "House By The Cemetery", "Burial Ground: The Night of Terror", "Demons", "Cannibal Apocalypse", " Luther The Geek", "Street Trash", " Men Behind The Sun", "Re-Animator", "Dead Alive ( a.k.a. Braindead)", "Bad Taste", "A Nightmare on Elm Street Series"," City of the Living Dead ( a.k.a. Gates of Hell)", " The New York Ripper", " Texas Chainsaw Massacre part 2", " From Dusk Till Dawn", "An American Werewolf in London", " Day of the Dead", " The Children", " Terror Firmer", " Citizen Toxie: The Toxic Avenger 4", " The Hills Have Eyes ( 1978 and 2006)", "Evil Dead II", "Blood Diner", " Intruder", " The Prowler", "Maniac ( 1980)", " C.H.U.D.", "Cemetery Man", "Tetsuo The Iron Man", " Riki-Oh: The Story of Ricky", "Scream", " Hellraiser", "Hellbound: Hellraiser II", " Evil Dead", "Hostel", "Dawn of the Dead ( 2004)", "Urotsukidoji: Legend of the Overfiend", " Land of the Dead", " Let sleeping Corpses Lie", " Night of the Demons", " Bloody Birthday", "Sleepaway Camp", "Battle Royale", "Mother's Day", "Ichi The Killer", "Tromeo and Juliet", " Nightmare City ( a.k.a. City of the Walking Dead)", " Serial Mom", "High Tension", " Meet The Feebles", " House of the Dead", "Wolf Creek", "Cannibal Ferox", " Demons 2", "Friday The 13th series", "Freddy Vs. Jason", " Return of the Living Dead Trilogy", "Cannibal Holocaust", "Jungle Holocaust", "Redneck Zombies", "Bride of Re-Animator", "Beyond Re-Animator", "Sin City", " The Grudge (Japanese and American)", " The Ring (Japanese and American)", "Hell of the Living Dead ( a.k.a. Night of the zombies, Zombie creeping Flesh)", "Cannibal! the Musical", "Night of the Living Dead ( 1968 and 1990)", " The Exorcist", and " 28 Days Later".


According to this hilariously awful disaster movie, a swarm of African killer bees looks like a bunch of chocolates doing a Mexican wave. At least, that's what Sheriff Lyndon Harris finds when he spots a truck full of the insects crash. He must try to warn the people of his town before a Honey Festival (a really lame excuse to attract the bees) takes place.

Even the '70s thriller 'The Swarm' had better special effects than this, probably because the makers didn't automatically switch to a digital solution every time a stunt was involved.

All in all, the acting is terrible, the plot is awful and the best special effect in the whole movie is the farmer's decomposing body after he swallows a bee in his beer.


It wasn't until after watching this that I suddenly realised something - That movies featuring bees on the rampage are totally self limiting in concept and structure . I've seen several of these type of movies and they always play out like this : A figure of authority ( usually a doctor or law enforcement agent ) finds the body of someone who's died under unknown circumstances . The audience are always one step ahead of the authority figure so know fine well how the victim died ( Usually by a camera being thrown in their face or something resembling bees superimposed over the camera lens ) so in order for the plot to go somewhere the running time is taken up with the authority figure meeting a beautiful doctor/scientist/vet so we get a romantic subplot , then about 2/3rds of the way through the movie after the authority figure has consumated the relationship it's then he realises people have been getting killed by cameras being thrust in their face/ rather poor animation and then races to save the local population against superimposed bees

There you go , another by the numbers thriller with deadly bees . the important number here is two . As in two out of ten


My Take: Made-for-TV yawner.

I watched 'Killer Bees" when I was on a school camping. We were to choose from two activities, go for the bravery test or watch this movie. Well, I was very tired at that time (it was really late at that time), so I decided to watch the movie instead. What the heck happened, I even got sleepier. "Killer Bees" is boring TV movie fare. No excitement, no suspense even no sense. The story sucks, the effects are fake and...well you get my point.

The lead isn't even much of a hero, because of his terrible acting. The bees aren't even scary,for two reasons. One, the effects are fake, I mean really fake. Two, there is no suspense, no theme music to underscore the bees' presence and nothing even scary about them, the bees look just like a couple of floating black dots attacking people. It wasn't only boring, it's also stupid.

It bored us, and it doesn't even get a little bit interesting. It's not one of those B-films that are "so bad, it's good". No, this one's "so bad, its awful.".

I tell you, if ever you watch this on a camping trip, choose the bravery test or any camp activity over this, no matter how tired you are, to keep your spirit up.

TV movie rating: 0 out of 5.


I loved Love is never silent. I watched this movie in my ASL 1 class and it really made me think, when i went home and told my mom about the movie she told me she had seen it when she was little and it had hit home. She was the dividing line between her parents and the other non-Armenian communities, she had said she never thought anyone felt this way. After seeing the movie my mother said she had worried she would never find a husband like Margaret had, and eventually she did, through work, like Margaret. My father never went off to war, but it still makes me think. This is an amazing movie that is worth seeing, renting, anything! I learned a lot, and more than i thought would have come from simply a movie, but then again this is not simply a movie.


"Love is Never Silent" is an emotional drama set in the 1930s and early 1940s. Unlike her parents, Margaret is not hearing impaired.

Therefore, young Margaret often finds herself acting as a buffer and an interpreter for her deaf parents in the hearing world. As a result, Margaret's youthful innocence is lost at a very young age and often does not inform her parents of the rude comments people say to her parents.

In addition, Margaret's parents, particularly her mother, become alarmed and angry when Margaret asserts her independence as she gets older.

Friendly neighbor Mr. Petrakis is one of the few who fully understands Margaret's difficult circumstances.

In the tradition of "It's a Wonderful Life", "Love is Never Silent" builds and sets the stage throughout the movie for the highly emotional scene towards the end of the film when Margaret finally stands up to her demanding parents.

Mare Winningham is brilliant as Margaret. Sid Ceaser is convincing as Mr. Petrakis. Cloris Leachman is great in this rare departure from comedy.

I highly recommend this emotional film.


My ASL teacher played this movie for the class. I am taking a 2nd year signing course in high school. When I first heard about it, it didn't appeal to me that much. You know what they say though, don't judge a film by its summary. It's the content that matters *wink*. It was rather inspiring to me after I had watched it all the way through. I found it interesting in the way the late 1930's society was depicted in the treatment of Deaf people. It comes to show how far the Deaf community has progressed in the past seventy years. The actors were excellently portrayed. I hope everyone interested in ASL, taking ASL, or late Depression films gets to see this one.


This film never fails to make me cry. However, it never manipulates the tears. There's such a truth and realness to the presentation of the material - not maudlin or contrived in any way. The performances are wonderful all around. Phyllis Frelich and Ed Waterstreet are superb and Mare Winingham couldn't be better. Two of televisions most breathtaking scenes are in this movie - the scene where Winingham's character confronts her mother's comment about being irresponsible and the scene where Winingham's character is alone in the church. If this movie (specifically these scenes) don't punch a hole in your chest than you aren't human.


This film is so good that while I'm watching it, I forget that Cloris Leachman was ever Frau Blucher! Mare Winningham is outstanding in this film. What Frosty the Snowman did to me as a child, this movie does to me as an adult; I cry every time I see it. This movie and To Dance with the White Dog are probably the best ever made by Hallmark. If you're looking for something with a lighter tone, I suggest Hallmark's What the Deaf Man Heard. It's of the same caliber, but not nearly as sad.


The story of how Deaf people survived and how a hearing child coped with Deaf parents has never been portrayed as well as this tv movie did. As a deaf person, I was able to understand the frustration the parents went through and as the hearing child went through as if I was in her shoes. The era where Deafness was not well known and is not considered normal was portrayed well. I recommend everybody watch the show. You will come to understand that Deaf people are just like hearing people.


I love this movie, makes me cry from the second I start watching. Absolutely heartbreaking.....


I wasn't entirely sure this movie would stick out from the rest but I chose to go since I had nothing else to do. Hell am I glad I was bored. 16 Blocks is a wonderful thrill ride with lots of action/suspense and mild comedy. Any Bruce Willis fan would love this like they did Hostage. Willis plays Jack Mosley, a drunk/hungover cop that seems to have lost his touch. He gets all the scrap jobs that no one wants and one of these jobs brings him straight to Mos Def who plays Eddie, a very hard to understand, very talkative guy who has apparently witnessed something and is due to testify at 10 sharp. It's about 2 hours until he has to be at the court house which is 16 blocks away and a hell of a lot of cops standing in the middle. Mosley doesn't entirely know what to believe, the kid or his ex partner of 20 years but he puts his faith into the kid and the thrill ride begins. Hands down the best dirty cop film I've seen in a while.


This is not a remake of "The Gauntlet," though the theme is a familiar one. There are, in fact, several movies with similar plots; "3:10 to Yuma" and "Narrow Margin" come to mind. A reviewer emailed me that "Midnight Run" not only has a story like "16 Blocks" but Bruce Willis' character Jack Mosley has a name that is a composite of the movie names for two of the leading roles in "Midnight Run": Robert De Niro's Jack Walsh and Yaphet Kotto's FBI Agent Alonzo Mosely. This, of course, may be mere coincidence. Though the story may seem like déjà vu, the action is fast paced making this an exciting film to watch.

Anyone who doubts that Bruce Willis can act needs only watch his standout performance in "Pulp Fiction" to see what depth this actor can bring to a demanding role. The role of Jack Mosely may not be challenging to Willis, but he still gives it all he's got which is plenty. Playing the part of an over the hill New York cop with a game leg, nothing to live for, and a drinking problem seems easy for Willis to make it all believable.

The criminal, Eddie Bunker, Jack must deliver to testify within a certain time frame is played with gusto by hip-hop artist Mos Def. Eddie is the most verbose prisoner ever. He rattles on and on about anything that comes to mind, some of it funny, some of it trite. He also has a riddle that is not answered till near the end of the film.

A standout performance is delivered by David Morse as the leader of the dirty cops, Frank Nugent. Morse is in danger of becoming typecast as a dishonest lawman. Hopefully he will become more diversified in his roles since he is such a talented actor.

This is another winner from action director Richard Donner. If you like his other successful concoctions such as the "Lethal Weapon" flicks, "Superman," "Conspiracy Theory," and "The Omen," then you will certainly enjoy "16 Blocks."


This movie was an excellent surprise. It starts slow, but stay with it. Your first look at Bruce Willis as the burnt-out over the hill cop tells you this will not be the normal shoot-em-up cop drama. The plot starts building almost instantly, unlike many movies where you have to wait through thirty minutes of fluff before the story goes anywhere. The characters in the movie are surprisingly endearing, honest and genuine. They're just normal enough to identify with. Not the standard super evil villain and valiant good guy. Bruce Willis is awesome in his role as the tired underdog struggling with the morality of torn loyalty. Mos Def, whose character's voice was a little aggravating, played an excellent supporting role. The relationship he develops with Willis'character is both surprising and humorous. Overall, the movie was tense from the start and is filled with suspense, humor and a great deal of drama. It takes some unexpected turns and has a great ending. I highly recommend it.


This is one of Bruce Willis' finest films yet. He plays a tired old cop who is handed the menial task of driving Mos Def, a criminal, who has to testify in court. Little does he know, he winds up running into very much trouble. Although one might think that this movie cannot be suspenseful because it takes place within the radius of 16 blocks, many twists and turns occur which make it very interesting.

Mos Def also delivers an outstanding performance through the use of his accent and his hilarious anecdotes throughout the movie. He adds a lot of depth to his character and to the movie as a whole. Thus, the audience is able to sympathize with him. Overall, this movie was excellent and I would highly recommend it to anyone who enjoys a great fast paced thriller.


Bruce Willis is known for being a great action movie star. Richard Donner is known for being a great action director. The combination of these two should create great hype. I saw this the first day it was out and I guess it almost lived up to my expectations. Bruce Willis portrays Jack Mosley, a alcoholic cop who, after a long day of work, has to escort a prisoner to a trial for a testimony. Mos Def plays Eddie Bunker, the prisoner with a dream of becoming a baker. They have to go 16 blocks in a little bit over a hour. They encounter multiple attempts on Eddie's life, and Mosley begins to suspect other cops of this. 16 Blocks is an intense thrill ride with multiple twists. Great camera angles that create more suspense help you really understand what they are going through. David Morse did a great job playing the dirty cop. The only problem is that it has some parts that would make you laugh. This may take away the seriousness of the movie from some viewers. It can be corny and predictable at times, but 16 Blocks is a good flick and you should see it.


Certainly a decent cop - thriller; it's quite entertaining despite some actions sequences that are really unlikely (they could also be called brainless). In fact credulity is put to the test a lot of times, nevertheless "16 Blocks" is a kind of movie that makes you reflect on what you saw. Bruce Willis plays the unusual part of a broken down cop ready for both rehabilitation and retirement, weary of working and living as well; Bruce has never looked more unkempt and scruffy but his part his acting is really persuasive and cogent. The ending could (should) have been less predictable but the job is in my opinion well done.


In New York, the alcoholic and decadent detective Jack Mosley (Bruce Willis) is assigned to deliver a prisoner to the court sixteen blocks far from his precinct in 118 minutes. Eddie Bunker (Mos Def) made a deal with the D.A. office and will identify and testify against a dirty detective. While driving to the tribunal, Jack is attacked by a group of corrupt cops and protects Eddie.

In spite of being a flawed movie, "16 Blocks" is a good entertainment with lots of action and an optimistic, hopeful and commercial message in the end that people can change, with the redemption of Eddie and Jack. Mos Def irritates with his accent, and Bruce Willis is totally different from his usual shape, inclusive with a "tire" on his belly. It is funny to see all the damage caused by the bus in Manhattan and no press and no interventions of Ada MacDonald (Brenda Pressley), who was interested in the case. My vote is seven.

Title (Brazil): "16 Quadras" ("16 Blocks")


I Saw this Movie and was happy with how it came out. A good movie definitely worth seeing. a lot of action, tied in with a lot of twists. In that sense i mean you go "oh hes about to get caught" when the unexpected comes up. Was good acting as well all around, Bruce Willis made a fine Hero, or anti hero if you could call him that. The beginning started off fast and the ending came on slow. in my opinion the way a movie should come on. About the pg13 though, F bomb was dropped once (twice if you count a replay of it saying) The musical score also did a nice touch to the scenes. Dropping to low sad tones when death is about to occur, and jumping to a pulsing drum run when escape is occurring. Overall i give an 9/10 as very little was wrong if anything at all. I mean as a matter of fact besides maybe length or questionably of motives, i would say there is no problems at all found in the movie.


I haven't seen a movie in years that would be able to touch me as deep as this movie did. Here you won't see piteous freaks or ill children. Just two adults: one elderly white cop and one young black guy (even not really a criminal). But I'd never believe how touching one action-packed day of their lives can be! There are dozens of a-cop-and-a-criminal movies like this but they are all not nearly like this! They are stupid and I never liked that kind of flicks. This movie is splendid. It really should be something to make such a fantasy/sci-fi fan like me to like a criminal drama (not really a drama, read further). Maybe the very idea of the film is plain, maybe the plot has somewhat unrealistic turns (who proved that real life hasn't?) but the characters and their behavior is so real, full of senses and inside thoughts that their acting touches the very soul! And the thing I really loved: unlike many "high art" movies this one ends realistically WELL because, maybe I am too naive, God is kind and life is not a movie. Such a movie ends well: it was really a kind surprise for me! My bow to the director, he's genius. The actors as well. Someone is still able to shoot truly remarkable movies.