_**A Tarantino flick before they existed**_ An intelligent convict with a sociopathic nature (Mickey Rourke) manages to escape from custody in Salt Lake City and then connects with his brother (Elias Koteas) and their large, not very bright associate (David Morse). They're looking for somewhere to lay low until the mastermind’s lawyer can reach them (Kelly Lynch), and they end up choosing the Cornell’s house in a suburban neighborhood pretty much at random because of a "For Sale" sign on the lawn (Anthony Hopkins & Mimi Rogers). “Desperate Hours” (1990) is an unusual crime thriller from Michael Cimino, which reimagines a story that originally appeared as a book, play, and movie between 1954 and 1955. Some viewers just don't seem to appreciate this film; it’s hard to pin down because it sits somewhere between genuine seriousness and something like parody or dark comedy. Lindsay Crouse’s ridiculously exaggerated portrayal of the FBI chief is a good illustration, as are the two college girls wearing extremely short shorts, and even that big, clumsy thug whose clothes are covered in blood. What “Timmy” (Hopkins) does to one character at the very end also falls into this category. And then there’s the strange orchestral score by David Mansfield. It's worth remembering that director Michael Cimino’s debut film was "Thunderbolt and Lightfoot" (1974), which felt like a Tarantino movie long before “Pulp Fiction” became famous. Like those films, and also “The Gauntlet” (1977), “Desperate Hours” combines elements of realism with obvious exaggerations. For instance, recall the badly damaged house collapsing in "Gauntlet"? This film has something similar, but on a smaller scale. Shawnee Smith was 20 years old during filming and looks wonderful as the 15-year-old daughter. Brittney Lewis and Lise Wilburn play those “college girls,” and shorts like theirs wouldn’t actually become fashionable for nearly four decades. The movie has a running time of 1 hour, 46 minutes, and was filmed in Utah: Salt Lake City, Echo Junction, Orem, Zion, and Capitol Reef; as well as Telluride, Colorado. GRADE: B

Source on TMDB