Violent Saturday

"The day all Hell broke loose !"

1955 1h 30m EN

👍

6.7

SOLID

★6.7TMDB · 82

DramaCrime

Synopsis

Spoiler shield

Three men case a small town very carefully, with plans to rob the bank on the upcoming Saturday, which turns violent and deadly.

“The day all Hell broke loose !”

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Where to watch · US

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Cast

Victor Mature
Shelley Martin
Richard Egan
Boyd Fairchild
Stephen McNally
Harper
Virginia Leith
Linda Sherman
Tommy Noonan
Harry Reeves, Bank Manager
Lee Marvin
Dill
Margaret Hayes
Mrs. Emily Fairchild
J. Carrol Naish
Chapman, Bank Robber

Credits

Behind the camera

Director: Richard Fleischer
Writers: Sydney Boehm
Languages: German, 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

RUNTIME

Did you know

90 minutes exactly — the "classic feature" runtime most directors aim for.

MoodPlayr · trivia#01

2 / 8

ERA

Did you know

71 years old — a genuine piece of film history.

MoodPlayr · trivia#02

3 / 8

WORLD

Did you know

Dialogue crosses 2 languages: German, English.

MoodPlayr · trivia#03

4 / 8

DIRECTOR

Did you know

Directed by Richard Fleischer, shot by Charles G. Clarke. Note their partnership — DPs and directors often return to each other across a career.

MoodPlayr · trivia#04

5 / 8

DIRECTOR

Did you know

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

MoodPlayr · trivia#05

6 / 8

DIRECTOR

Did you know

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

MoodPlayr · trivia#06

7 / 8

CAST

Did you know

Victor Mature and Richard Egan and Stephen McNally carry the top of the cast.

MoodPlayr · trivia#07

8 / 8

FACT

Did you know

Marketing tagline: "The day all Hell broke loose !".

MoodPlayr · trivia#08

Cinephile deep dive

The take

Richard Fleischer directs. Charles G. Clarke behind the camera. Hugo Friedhofer scores. Louis R. Loeffler cuts. Runs lean at under 100 minutes. Produced in United States of America. Dialogue in German, English.

Trivia

Things worth knowing

190 minutes exactly — the "classic feature" runtime most directors aim for.
271 years old — a genuine piece of film history.
3Dialogue crosses 2 languages: German, English.
4Directed by Richard Fleischer, shot by Charles G. Clarke. Note their partnership — DPs and directors often return to each other across a career.
5Original score by Hugo Friedhofer. Worth a dedicated listen after — most great films lose half their impact without the score.
6Editor Louis R. Loeffler shaped the rhythm. On an edit-heavy film, the editor does more to control your pulse than the director.
7Victor Mature and Richard Egan and Stephen McNally carry the top of the cast.
8Marketing tagline: "The day all Hell broke loose !".
9IMDB entry: tt0048790 — still the authoritative cross-reference for credits and trivia.
10Only 82 TMDB ratings — you're getting ahead of the curve on this one.

The technical file

Cinematography: Charles G. Clarke
Original score: Hugo Friedhofer
Editing: Louis R. Loeffler
Costume design: Kay Nelson
Makeup / hair: Ben Nye
Runtime: 90 min · 1h 30m
Status: Released
Original language: EN
IMDB: Violent Saturday (1955)

Also by

Richard Fleischer

Trailers & featurettes

Watch the pieces

Community reviews

What people are saying

John Chard2014-05-04
★ 7.5/10
The Brandenville Broth. Violent Saturday is directed by Richard Fleischer and adapted to screenplay by Sydney Boehm from the novel of the same name written by William L. Heath. It stars Victor Mature, Richard Egan, Lee Marvin, Stephen McNally, J. Carrol Naish, Tommy Noonan, Ernest Borgnine, Virginia Leith and Sylvia Sidney. Music is by Hugo Friedhoffer and cinematography by Charles G. Clarke. Stand Pat and Resist Evil. A simmering powder keg of criminality told in beautiful De Luxe and CinemaScope, Violent Saturday is one of the definitions of a slow burn movie that pays off with explosive aplomb. The town of Brandenville is the scene of a planned bank robbery by a trio of baddies led by Harper (McNally). The narrative has the trio arrive in town and plan for the robbery, as they move about the populace, a whole bunch of sub-plots pop up to maintain maximum interest and to of course set up the drama involving the robbery and the subsequent attempts at a getaway. I don't blame him – she moves like a Swiss watch. The characters are prime noir dwellers, they range from thieving dames and tramp wives, to a peeping tom, a drunkard husband and also a guilt ridden father, and this before we even get to the villains! Who, with Marvin in prime Benzedrine sniffing scumbag mode (he thinks nothing of hurting children), are truly shifty operators personified. The Arizona locale is beautifully utilised by Fleischer and Clarke, belying the harsh side of the human condition that comes roaring out the Brandenville traps as the pic enters the final third. There's some murky moralising in said last third that irritates, more so when it involves a badly miscast Borgnine as a Quaker! While one character strand is annoyingly left dangling. So it's not perfect by any stretch of the imagination. In fact some of the cast were less than enamoured with either their work on the film or the attitude of others around them. Yet, and while understanding the reticence of some to not afford it film noir status, it has the requisite characterisations and nasty bite to keep noiristas very happy indeed 7.5/10
CinemaSerf2023-11-12
★ 7/10
This isn't really a film about an heist, it's more a rather effective observation on small town American life. "Harper" (Stephen McNally) arrives in town with his two partners - the rather nasty "Dill" (Lee Marvin) and "Chapman" (J. Carrol Naish) and starts casing the bank. Their attentions go largely un-noticed by the bank manager "Harry" (Tommy Noonan) who has some interesting nocturnal activities, nor by the successful but frequently drunk "Boyd" (Richard Egan) who is trying to rekindle his marriage with "Mary" (Margaret Hayes) whilst interfering nurse "Elsie" (Sylvia Sidney) spots an opportunity. Meantime "Martin" (Victor Mature) who stayed at home during the war to ensure continuing copper production wants to convince his son "Steve" (Billy Chapin) that there was no shame in that. There's a bit of debt-induced petty thievery and a family of neighbourly Amish led by "Stadt" (Ernest Borgnine). These interconnected threads are all played out succinctly as we head to a denouement that tests the mettle of "Martin" and the faith of the Amish when it comes to the ultimate exercise in self-preservation. It moves along quickly with plenty of plotting, a minimum of romantic clutter and provides for some characterful performances. Worth a watch.