Suddenly
A bone-chilling performance by Frank Sinatra is the centerpiece of an economic little thriller from 1954 called Suddenly, which found Sinatra cast dramatically against type and it actually works.
The title of the film is actually the name of the town where the film takes place, a sleepy mid- western hamlet that has been put on alert that a train carrying the POTUS is going to be making a stop in town and that rumors of an assassination attempt are in the air. Before the Secret Service can secure the location, three criminals, led by one John Baron (Sinatra) arrive at the Benson home because it provides a perfect view of the train station. Baron and his two partners end up holding former Secret Service Agent "Pop" Benson (James Gleason), his daughter-in-law, Ellen (Nancy Gates), her son Pidge (Kim Charney) and Sheriff Todd (Sterling Hayden) hostage until the train makes its scheduled stop in Suddenly at 5:00 pm. so that they can assassinate the President.
It's this fascinating John Baron character and the performance by the actor playing him that makes this movie sizzle. Richard Sale's screenplay sets up a rather complex backstory for the character that is slowly peeled away in layers as the clock rounds its way to 5:00 pm. The character becomes instantly antagonistic when his primary method of controlling his hostages is by threatening the little boy. Baron becomes a real enigma though when it's revealed that he's being paid handsomely to do this but has no idea by whom, which makes what he's doing even more deplorable. It's also revealed that Baron is no stranger to Suddenly and even mental health issues are hinted at, though this character appears to have himself together. He even seems to find some delight in his mission.
Frank Sinatra took a real career risk with this role and he completely invests in this despicable character. This was probably Sinatra's first and only shot at playing a straight out villain and this was apparently not the way his fans wanted to see him because moviegoers stayed away from this film in droves and Sinatra never played a character this evil again, but you know what? He nailed it, delivering a performance of chilling intensity that rivals his work in The Man With the Golden Arm.
The performances of the rest of the cast are nothing to write home about, even Sterling Hayden is more wooden than usual. I did find the minimal music score effective, but the selling point on this one is Sinatra, who takes a risk that pays off in spades.
A bone-chilling performance by Frank Sinatra is the centerpiece of an economic little thriller from 1954 called Suddenly, which found Sinatra cast dramatically against type and it actually works.
The title of the film is actually the name of the town where the film takes place, a sleepy mid- western hamlet that has been put on alert that a train carrying the POTUS is going to be making a stop in town and that rumors of an assassination attempt are in the air. Before the Secret Service can secure the location, three criminals, led by one John Baron (Sinatra) arrive at the Benson home because it provides a perfect view of the train station. Baron and his two partners end up holding former Secret Service Agent "Pop" Benson (James Gleason), his daughter-in-law, Ellen (Nancy Gates), her son Pidge (Kim Charney) and Sheriff Todd (Sterling Hayden) hostage until the train makes its scheduled stop in Suddenly at 5:00 pm. so that they can assassinate the President.
It's this fascinating John Baron character and the performance by the actor playing him that makes this movie sizzle. Richard Sale's screenplay sets up a rather complex backstory for the character that is slowly peeled away in layers as the clock rounds its way to 5:00 pm. The character becomes instantly antagonistic when his primary method of controlling his hostages is by threatening the little boy. Baron becomes a real enigma though when it's revealed that he's being paid handsomely to do this but has no idea by whom, which makes what he's doing even more deplorable. It's also revealed that Baron is no stranger to Suddenly and even mental health issues are hinted at, though this character appears to have himself together. He even seems to find some delight in his mission.
Frank Sinatra took a real career risk with this role and he completely invests in this despicable character. This was probably Sinatra's first and only shot at playing a straight out villain and this was apparently not the way his fans wanted to see him because moviegoers stayed away from this film in droves and Sinatra never played a character this evil again, but you know what? He nailed it, delivering a performance of chilling intensity that rivals his work in The Man With the Golden Arm.
The performances of the rest of the cast are nothing to write home about, even Sterling Hayden is more wooden than usual. I did find the minimal music score effective, but the selling point on this one is Sinatra, who takes a risk that pays off in spades.
Last edited by Gideon58; 07-20-20 at 07:22 PM.