Fourteen Hours (B+ or 3/4 stars)
'Fourteen Hours' (directed by Henry Hathaway, The Lives of a Bengal Lancer, The Black Rose) is a compelling, high-tension drama about an unstable man on the verge of self-destruction & how his current dilemma (whether to jump off the ledge of a skyscraper or not!) affects the people around him. Robert Cosick (Richard Basehart, a 36 yr. old actor convincingly playing 23) is a desperate & dispirited young man who - for one reason or another - has never gotten on with his divorced parents (Agnes Moorehead, Robert Keith) & believes - for one reason or another - that his fiancee Virginia (pretty Barbara Bel Geddes) no longer wants to be with him. Robert creeps & lurches onto the ledge of said skyscraper in downtown NY; threatening to jump.
For the next 'fourteen hours', Dunnigan (Paul Douglas), a policeman who was passing by on the street below, runs up to help, is intermittently dissuaded by Deputy Chief Moksar (Howard Da Silva), 2 psychiatrists (Martin Gabel, Donald Randolph), but still tries desperately to talk the despondent Robert down, himself; searching for any way possible to convince him that his is a life is worth living. Traffic grinds to a halt & a massive crowd of worried onlookers/reporters forms on the street below as Dunnigan chats it up with Robert. Those down below include Danny (Jeffrey Hunter) & Ruth (Debra Paget), 2 complete strangers who bond while watching the grim spectacle. They realize that they have a lot in common. And, of course, they start to fall for each other {eye roll, here}.
All the while, in a skyscraper across the street, a young woman about to sign divorce papers (Grace Kelly) finds herself contemplating if she should give up her marriage so hastily as she watches Robert Cosick debate throwing his life away. Over the course of those 'fourteen hours', policeman Dunnigan tries to piece together the puzzle of just WHY Robert is resorting to this behavior, & execute whatever plan works to get him to safety.
This film is based on the true story of a man perched on the 17th floor of a NY hotel in 1938 for 14 hours & threatened to leap. Not unlike 1951's other suspense-ser, Ace in the Hole (starring Kirk Douglas), this film builds most of its tension from the reaction shots of the bystanders below. This is a well-crafted motion picture; a movie that makes you feel like you're right there watching it all unfold. I don't know what the eventual fate of Robert will be, but I can say that there is a sort of 'happy' ending. The proceedings are also very compact; with good writing, tight editing, & some amazing sound design (hearing all of the noises from the people down on the street, as well as hearing all the goings-on up on that ledge). And the film has something fascinating to say about the virtues of a nuclear family, as well as a stinging social comment about how demented humanity can become (cab drivers in the crowd take bets on when the man will jump).
Richard Baseheart is riveting throughout because we never quite know why he is doing what he is doing; even as we learn more about him. Paul Douglas is wonderful as Dunnigan, a tough, GOOD man who believes in Robert & is hell bent on saving this life. Agnes Moorehead is great as the concerned, but also neurotic, possessive mother. Through her, we start to see a foundation of Robert's current issues. Barbara Bel Geddes is quietly heartbreaking as the fiancee who just wants Robert to be happy. Jeffrey Hunter & Debra Paget sell what would normally feel like an implausible romance subplot. And this film also marks the screen debut of Grace Kelly. What a cast. And they all work in tandem with the assured directing, writing, editing, sound design to provide a compelling, stellar finished product.
For the next 'fourteen hours', Dunnigan (Paul Douglas), a policeman who was passing by on the street below, runs up to help, is intermittently dissuaded by Deputy Chief Moksar (Howard Da Silva), 2 psychiatrists (Martin Gabel, Donald Randolph), but still tries desperately to talk the despondent Robert down, himself; searching for any way possible to convince him that his is a life is worth living. Traffic grinds to a halt & a massive crowd of worried onlookers/reporters forms on the street below as Dunnigan chats it up with Robert. Those down below include Danny (Jeffrey Hunter) & Ruth (Debra Paget), 2 complete strangers who bond while watching the grim spectacle. They realize that they have a lot in common. And, of course, they start to fall for each other {eye roll, here}.
All the while, in a skyscraper across the street, a young woman about to sign divorce papers (Grace Kelly) finds herself contemplating if she should give up her marriage so hastily as she watches Robert Cosick debate throwing his life away. Over the course of those 'fourteen hours', policeman Dunnigan tries to piece together the puzzle of just WHY Robert is resorting to this behavior, & execute whatever plan works to get him to safety.
This film is based on the true story of a man perched on the 17th floor of a NY hotel in 1938 for 14 hours & threatened to leap. Not unlike 1951's other suspense-ser, Ace in the Hole (starring Kirk Douglas), this film builds most of its tension from the reaction shots of the bystanders below. This is a well-crafted motion picture; a movie that makes you feel like you're right there watching it all unfold. I don't know what the eventual fate of Robert will be, but I can say that there is a sort of 'happy' ending. The proceedings are also very compact; with good writing, tight editing, & some amazing sound design (hearing all of the noises from the people down on the street, as well as hearing all the goings-on up on that ledge). And the film has something fascinating to say about the virtues of a nuclear family, as well as a stinging social comment about how demented humanity can become (cab drivers in the crowd take bets on when the man will jump).
Richard Baseheart is riveting throughout because we never quite know why he is doing what he is doing; even as we learn more about him. Paul Douglas is wonderful as Dunnigan, a tough, GOOD man who believes in Robert & is hell bent on saving this life. Agnes Moorehead is great as the concerned, but also neurotic, possessive mother. Through her, we start to see a foundation of Robert's current issues. Barbara Bel Geddes is quietly heartbreaking as the fiancee who just wants Robert to be happy. Jeffrey Hunter & Debra Paget sell what would normally feel like an implausible romance subplot. And this film also marks the screen debut of Grace Kelly. What a cast. And they all work in tandem with the assured directing, writing, editing, sound design to provide a compelling, stellar finished product.