Desperate Hours

"Desire is the deadliest weapon of all."

1990 1h 45m EN

😐

5.4

MID

★5.4TMDB · 234

ThrillerCrime

Synopsis

Spoiler shield

An escaped con, on the run from the law, moves into a married couple's house and takes over their lives.

“Desire is the deadliest weapon of all.”

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Where to watch · US

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Cast

Mickey Rourke
Michael Bosworth
Anthony Hopkins
Tim Cornell
Mimi Rogers
Nora Cornell
Lindsay Crouse
Brenda Chandler
Kelly Lynch
Nancy Breyers
Elias Koteas
Wally Bosworth
David Morse
Albert
Shawnee Smith
May Cornell

Credits

Behind the camera

Director: Michael Cimino
Writers: Mark Rosenthal, Lawrence Konner, Joseph Hayes
Languages: English
Countries: United States of America

Want more? Switch to Cinephile mode in the header for DP, composer, budget, box office, production companies, keywords, and release history.

Did you know?

Fun facts 🍿

1 / 8

MONEY

Did you know

Earned back only 15% of its budget on initial theatrical — a commercial disappointment on release.

MoodPlayr · trivia#01

2 / 8

ERA

Did you know

36 years old — old enough to be someone's favourite childhood film.

MoodPlayr · trivia#02

3 / 8

DIRECTOR

Did you know

Directed by Michael Cimino, shot by Douglas Milsome. Note their partnership — DPs and directors often return to each other across a career.

MoodPlayr · trivia#03

4 / 8

DIRECTOR

Did you know

Original score by David Mansfield. Worth a dedicated listen after — most great films lose half their impact without the score.

MoodPlayr · trivia#04

5 / 8

DIRECTOR

Did you know

Editor Christopher Rouse shaped the rhythm. On an edit-heavy film, the editor does more to control your pulse than the director.

MoodPlayr · trivia#05

6 / 8

CAST

Did you know

Mickey Rourke and Anthony Hopkins and Mimi Rogers carry the top of the cast.

MoodPlayr · trivia#06

7 / 8

FACT

Did you know

Marketing tagline: "Desire is the deadliest weapon of all.".

MoodPlayr · trivia#07

8 / 8

WILD

Did you know

IMDB entry: tt0099409 — still the authoritative cross-reference for credits and trivia.

MoodPlayr · trivia#08

Cinephile deep dive

The take

Michael Cimino directs. Douglas Milsome behind the camera. David Mansfield scores. Christopher Rouse cuts. A commercial under-performer on release. Produced in United States of America. Dialogue in English.

Trivia

Things worth knowing

1Earned back only 15% of its budget on initial theatrical — a commercial disappointment on release.
236 years old — old enough to be someone's favourite childhood film.
3Directed by Michael Cimino, shot by Douglas Milsome. Note their partnership — DPs and directors often return to each other across a career.
4Original score by David Mansfield. Worth a dedicated listen after — most great films lose half their impact without the score.
5Editor Christopher Rouse shaped the rhythm. On an edit-heavy film, the editor does more to control your pulse than the director.
6Mickey Rourke and Anthony Hopkins and Mimi Rogers carry the top of the cast.
7Marketing tagline: "Desire is the deadliest weapon of all.".
8IMDB entry: tt0099409 — still the authoritative cross-reference for credits and trivia.

The technical file

Cinematography: Douglas Milsome
Original score: David Mansfield
Editing: Christopher Rouse
Production design: Victoria Paul
Costume design: Charles DeCaro
Makeup / hair: Allan A. Apone
Sound: Gregory H. Watkins
Runtime: 105 min · 1h 45m
Aspect ratio (typical): 1.37:1 (Academy)
Status: Released
Budget: $18,000,000
Box office: $2,742,912
Return: 15% of budget
Original language: EN
Certification (US): R
IMDB: Desperate Hours (1990)

Also by

Michael Cimino

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Community reviews

What people are saying

Wuchak2022-05-27
★ 7/10
A Tarantino flick before they existed An intelligent sociopathic convict (Mickey Rourke) escapes custody in Salt Lake City and meets up with his brother (Elias Koteas) and their hulking, dull-witted collaborator (David Morse). They need a place to hide out until the mastermind’s defense lawyer can catch up with them (Kelly Lynch) and so randomly choose the Cornell’s abode in the suburbs due to its "For Sale" sign (Anthony Hopkins & Mimi Rogers). “Desperate Hours” (1990) is a quirky crime thriller by Michael Cimino that updates the book/play/movie from 1954-55. Some people don't 'get' this flick. It walks the balance beam between seriousness and parody or black humor. Lindsay Crouse's amusingly over-the-top FBI chief is a good example. The two random college girls in ridiculously short shorts is another, not to mention the big lug thug in clothes covered with blood stains. What "Timmy" (Hopkins) does to a certain character at the end is yet another. Then there's the incongruous orchestral score by David Mansfield. Remember, director Michael Cimino's first movie was "Thunderbolt and Lightfoot" (1974), a Tarantino flick two decades before he shot to fame with “Pulp Fiction.” Like those films and “The Gauntlet” (1977), “Desperate Hours” is quasi-believable mixed with glaring exaggerations. For instance, remember the shot-to-hell house collapsing in “Gauntlet”? It’s similar with this one, just a little more low-key. Shawnee Smith was 20 during shooting and looks great as the 15 year-old daughter. Meanwhile Brittney Lewis and Lise Wilburn play the aforementioned “college girls.” Shorts like theirs wouldn’t come into style until almost 40 years later. The movie runs 1 hour, 46 minutes, and was shot in Utah: Salt Lake City, Echo Junction, Orem, Zion, and Capitol Reef; as well as Telluride, Colorado. GRADE: B
GenerationofSwine2023-01-12
★ 10/10
OK, it's not Bogie. Let's get that out of the way from the start. People are going to hate this on principal because it doesn't have Bogart in it... ...and that is fair. People like me are also going to hate this out the door not only because it doesn't have Bogie in it but also because it is a remake... ...and that is also a fair hate. but if you get beyond that, it is really an entertaining thriller in the strictest late 80s early 90s thriller sense and just as flawed as all of them from that era. Artistically, it's really an 80s stock thriller with 90s cinematography. Neither bad nor good. Neither terrible nor great. However, it is an entertaining movie to watch, it's gripping and thrilling enough to keep you in a good mood whilst watching it...so 10 stars. So long as a movie entertains, it did it's job. This was watchable and entertaining.