I was surprised at how dark and grisly these criminals are. Rod Steiger leads this motley band who perpetrate a crime that begins with a letter and the threat of not one, but two bombs aboard an in air plane. The potential bomber Paul (Rod Steiger), calls and tells the head of the airline that there will be more bombs unless his demand for $500,000 is met. Then we join an average joe named Jim Molner (James Mason), who hears the news of the bombs at work...specifically that the explosive RDX is used and becomes agitated and rushes home. There he and his wife end up taken hostage by Paul, who was a former Army colleague...who tricked Jim into making the bomb with the lure that he would get a prestigious military contract. When Jim and Joan's daughter comes home from school the stakes only get higher as we meet Paul's accomplices...surprisingly vicious Eileen Kelly, who planted the bomb in her seat on the plane, thug Vince (Jack Klugman), and Steve...nicknamed "the creep" by his cohorts as he was in jail for rape and maybe murder all while be hooked on benzodiazepines. They use Joan to collect the money, threatening her with her husband and daughter's life...while the feds and the airline try to figure out who and where the criminals are.
There are some surprisingly great New York City street shots as Joan races to get the money to Paul in time to save her family and some great views inside the subway towards the end. It's an amazing cast that they have assembled to tell this story that really builds the tension right up until the end. I really enjoyed seeing the emergency slide used on the plane as the "quickest" exit for the passengers. I imagine the frank discussion of rape, the murdering of a child and the use of "benies" might have been pretty shocking to a 1950's crowd, and it still gives the film an overall grimness that I think was intended as this mother and father fight for their family.
Probably should be on Noir fan's "must see" list and it is a recommendation from me...but probably still a one watch.
There are some surprisingly great New York City street shots as Joan races to get the money to Paul in time to save her family and some great views inside the subway towards the end. It's an amazing cast that they have assembled to tell this story that really builds the tension right up until the end. I really enjoyed seeing the emergency slide used on the plane as the "quickest" exit for the passengers. I imagine the frank discussion of rape, the murdering of a child and the use of "benies" might have been pretty shocking to a 1950's crowd, and it still gives the film an overall grimness that I think was intended as this mother and father fight for their family.
Probably should be on Noir fan's "must see" list and it is a recommendation from me...but probably still a one watch.