It's a class reunion in the cast of Seven Days in May. Kirk Douglas and Burt Lancaster had made four movies together by that point. Fredric March and Martin Balsam played father- and son-in-laws in Middle of the Night. Ava Gardner, Edmond O'Brien, and Burt Lancaster were in The Killers nearly twenty years earlier, and Ava shared the screen with Ed in The Barefoot Contessa. Burt, Ed, and Whit Bissell were all in Birdman of Alcatraz. Whit made two movies each with Burt and Freddie, and one each with Kirk and Ed. Hugh Marlowe was in Elmer Gantry with Burt. Freddie and Ed acted in two movies together in the 1940s, so it's no wonder that the whole chemistry of the film feels like a "good ol' boys network", much like the chemistry of Advise & Consent felt like a 1930s reunion.
It's another Cold War drama, so if you don't like those, you probably won't like this one. I'm not a fan of that subgenre (probably because I didn't live through it), and the only one I liked was Fail-Safe. In this one, Fredric March plays the President of the United States. He's just signed a nuclear disarmament treaty with Russia, which many Americans distrust. Martin Balsam is his Chief of Staff and dear friend, and Edmond O'Brien is an aging Southern senator. Burt Lancaster is the Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, and he vehemently opposes the president. Kirk is Burt's assistant, and when he suspects his boss has done something really bad, he throws his loyalty out the window. He finks and tells President March everything, then they all scrounge together to get evidence against Burt.
Even though Burt Lancaster got first billing, he was hardly in the movie. When he finally shows up, all he does is shout and irritate the audience. Ava Gardner's character was completely unnecessary, except to throw a random woman into the mix. Edmond O'Brien snagged an Oscar nomination for doing nothing more than a Charles Laughton impersonation from Advise & Consent. I really like Martin Balsam, but he wasn't given anything to do - and unfortunately, neither was Kirk Douglas. And as far as the actual plot goes: I watched the entire movie and couldn't figure out what it was exactly that Burt was suspected of doing! These movies are a little too complicated for me, so I'll stick with my WWII movies instead.
It's another Cold War drama, so if you don't like those, you probably won't like this one. I'm not a fan of that subgenre (probably because I didn't live through it), and the only one I liked was Fail-Safe. In this one, Fredric March plays the President of the United States. He's just signed a nuclear disarmament treaty with Russia, which many Americans distrust. Martin Balsam is his Chief of Staff and dear friend, and Edmond O'Brien is an aging Southern senator. Burt Lancaster is the Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, and he vehemently opposes the president. Kirk is Burt's assistant, and when he suspects his boss has done something really bad, he throws his loyalty out the window. He finks and tells President March everything, then they all scrounge together to get evidence against Burt.
Even though Burt Lancaster got first billing, he was hardly in the movie. When he finally shows up, all he does is shout and irritate the audience. Ava Gardner's character was completely unnecessary, except to throw a random woman into the mix. Edmond O'Brien snagged an Oscar nomination for doing nothing more than a Charles Laughton impersonation from Advise & Consent. I really like Martin Balsam, but he wasn't given anything to do - and unfortunately, neither was Kirk Douglas. And as far as the actual plot goes: I watched the entire movie and couldn't figure out what it was exactly that Burt was suspected of doing! These movies are a little too complicated for me, so I'll stick with my WWII movies instead.