Suddenly (1954)
If you liked The Manchurian Candidate, you’re not going to want to miss out on Suddenly. Suddenly is the name of a small American town, but it’s also a metaphor for the plot, which is reflected well in Lewis Allen’s tense direction and Richard Sale’s smart screenplay.
Nancy Gates is a widow, trying to raise her young son properly while falling in love with Sterling Hayden, the town sheriff. How can she teach her son that guns are bad, because his father died in the war, but the man vying to become his stepfather uses a gun to keep the peace in town? While that isn’t the main plot, it’s the underlying theme and the motivation behind her character.
The President of the United States is slated to pass through Suddenly as a good-will gesture to small time Americana, and just before his stop, three strangers arrive in town. The leader of the group is Frank Sinatra, and he charms his way into Nancy Gates’s home. Then—suddenly—Frank and his gang are holding the family hostage as they prepare to assassinate the president.
The film is very tense, and an extremely entertaining ride. I wouldn’t bother to pop corn during this one; you probably won’t look away from the screen long enough to grab a handful. Frank Sinatra does an excellent job as the slightly-psycho assassin; he’s not over-the-top, but he’s sufficiently scary so the audience doesn’t expect him to start singing. I liked this movie a lot, but if you don’t think you’ll like seeing Ol’ Blue Eyes as the bad guy—even though the movie is in black-and-white—you might want to rent From Here to Eternity instead.
Want to watch it? Click here to watch it on ok.ru. And thanks "Juhi Thaker" for posting!
More Frank Sinatra movies here!
Nancy Gates is a widow, trying to raise her young son properly while falling in love with Sterling Hayden, the town sheriff. How can she teach her son that guns are bad, because his father died in the war, but the man vying to become his stepfather uses a gun to keep the peace in town? While that isn’t the main plot, it’s the underlying theme and the motivation behind her character.
The President of the United States is slated to pass through Suddenly as a good-will gesture to small time Americana, and just before his stop, three strangers arrive in town. The leader of the group is Frank Sinatra, and he charms his way into Nancy Gates’s home. Then—suddenly—Frank and his gang are holding the family hostage as they prepare to assassinate the president.
The film is very tense, and an extremely entertaining ride. I wouldn’t bother to pop corn during this one; you probably won’t look away from the screen long enough to grab a handful. Frank Sinatra does an excellent job as the slightly-psycho assassin; he’s not over-the-top, but he’s sufficiently scary so the audience doesn’t expect him to start singing. I liked this movie a lot, but if you don’t think you’ll like seeing Ol’ Blue Eyes as the bad guy—even though the movie is in black-and-white—you might want to rent From Here to Eternity instead.
Want to watch it? Click here to watch it on ok.ru. And thanks "Juhi Thaker" for posting!
More Frank Sinatra movies here!