The Desperate Hours

The Griffin brothers, Hal and Glenn, and their accomplice Sam Kobish have escaped from the state prison. An all-points bulletin is issued for them as they are armed and dangerous. Their destination is a quiet neighborhood where they can hide for a day or two. They plan to take a family hostage, preferably one with children as the parents will be more likely to cooperate. Driving a stolen car, they look for a house. Dan and Ellie Hilliard, together with their daughter Cindy and son Ralphy, are just finishing breakfast. Cindy is nineteen and wants to get married. But Dan doesn't like her boyfriend, Chuck. Ralphy leaves for school but neglects to put his bicycle in the garage. Cindy rides to work with her father, who lectures her on the way about Chuck. Once her family is gone, Ellie turns on a portable radio and takes it with her while she straightens the house. The doorbell rings and she goes to answer it. Glenn Griffin is outside, wanting directions. While she is trying to help him, Kobish enters the house from the unlocked kitchen door. Ellie is quickly overpowered. Obviously terrified, she does her best to answer questions. Hal backs Ellie's car out of the garage and replaces it with their stolen one before closing the garage doors. Glenn gives him the radio and tells him to listen for the news. Glenn forces Ellie to tell him where their valuables and cash are hidden. Hal finds a gun in her closet so now both brothers are armed. Kobish, who is brain-damaged, is angry because he doesn't have a gun. He goes into Ralphy's room to play with the toys. In frustration, he knocks most of them on the floor. Glenn forces Ellie to make a person to person telephone call, Mr. James to Mrs. James. He talks to his girlfriend, who is holding money for him. She agrees to bring it to the Hilliard house at midnight, after which time the criminals will leave. Dan and Cindy are the first to arrive home. He goes to put Ellie's car in the garage and notices the stolen one. Puzzled, they go inside and are immediately taken prisoner. Dan instantly promises the criminals all his money if they will leave at once. Glenn laughs and says he doesn't have enough money to tempt them. Meanwhile, the police have a tail on Glenn's girlfriend as she travels. They order that she is not to be pulled over for any traffic violation so she can lead them to him. Ralphy accuses Kobish of wrecking one of his toy planes. He gets the other one and deliberately breaks it. Kobish goes for him and Dan intervenes. He is slightly injured, with a cut on his head. The HIlliards are locked in Dan and Ellie's bedroom. He intends to cooperate so they will not be harmed. He fears if there is a police shootout, he and his family will be injured or killed. Chuck arrives for Cindy. She is allowed to leave after being warned that if she brings the police, her family will be killed. Chuck knows something is wrong and thinks it is her father. He wants to have it out with Dan but Cindy dissuades him. Glenn sends Dan out in Ellie's car for gas, newspapers, and whiskey. He is tempted to call the police but is too fearful for his family's safety. The expensive whiskey he brings back amuses Glenn. He deliberately breaks a bottle, accusing Dan of wanting them to all get drunk and pass out. Kobish grabs a bottle and drinks himself into unconsciousness. Hal puts him in their car to sleep it off. The telephone rings for "Mr. James." Glenn talks to his girlfriend. There is trouble. She was pulled over for speeding but managed to get away. However, now she has no car and can't bring the money to him. Glenn tells her to send it special delivery to Dan's office. Unfortunately the criminals will have to hide at least another day. The Hilliards don't see how they can stand it. Ralphy climbs out his bedroom window onto the roof, intending to cross to the neighbor's roof and drop off. But he slips and falls. When Glenn goes to see what the noise is, Dan locks the door behind him. He shoves Hal out the kitchen door and locks it before shouting to Ellie to call the police. But Glenn calls out that he has Ralphy. The family is forced to re-admit the criminals to their home. Dan scolds Ralphy soundly for risking his life by being on the roof. The next morning, Glenn directs that Ralphy stay home from school. Cindy and Dan are to go to work as usual so nothing will appear suspicious. On the way, Dan tells her not to come home that night, to stay at a hotel or with a girlfriend. Dan is waiting for the mail at work, telling the secretary to bring it directly to him. Chuck shows up and confronts him about being a terrible father, but Dan scarcely takes notice. When the envelope is not in the morning mail, Dan leaves the office and goes to the bank, where he withdraws all his money. He writes an anonymous note to the police, stating that the criminals are hiding in a private home. A shoot-out would almost surely result in innocent people being harmed. He pays a messenger to deliver the note. At home, an old man driving a dump truck pulls into the Hilliard driveway. Glenn shouts for Ellie, who says it is Mr. Patterson to pick up the trash. She says he will come to the door to be paid. Glenn orders her to pay him and examines the check to be sure she hasn't written a note for help. Mr. Patterson notices that Ellie looks ill and she claims to have a headache. Glenn watches from the window as the old man opens the garage door for the trash cans. He sees Glenn's mud-splattered car and stands there looking at it. Since a description of the car has been on the news, Glenn calls for Kobish to take care of matters, including getting the check back. He gives Kobish Hal's gun. Ellie bursts into tears as Kobish slips out and jumps on Mr. Patterson's truck as it is pulling away. The old man promises not to say anything. Kobish orders him to drive out in the country. He gets the check and tears it to shreds before tossing it out the window. Seizing the moment, Mr. Patterson deliberately wrecks the truck. He scrambles to his feet and takes off, but Kobish shoots him in the back. Dan gets a call at work from Kobish, who is hiding in a tool shed at the golf course. He orders Dan to come and get him. When they arrive at the Hilliard home, they discover that Ralphy's teacher is there to drop off his homework. Dan wants to get rid of her quickly, so he pretends to be drunk. Ralphy hands the teacher a folder with his assignment from yesterday. Dan takes it away from her, saying he has to inspect it. The teacher flees. Glenn grabs the folder and reads a note for help that Ralphy wrote. Hal wants to leave and take their chances before the money arrives. Surprisingly it is Dan who tries to talk him out of it, saying that the police are closing in. But Hal has had enough. He carjacks a vehicle and shoves the owner onto the street before driving away. He hears on the news that the police are focusing on a part of town near the Hilliard house. Wanting to warn Glenn, he stops at a restaurant. He is looking up the Hilliards' number in the phone directory when a police officer enters. Hal shoots him and runs into the parking lot. The officer pursues him, returning fire. Hal runs into the road and is hit by a truck. He does not survive. Hal's gun is traced to Dan Hilliard as the owner. While the police are discussing their strategy, Chuck is brought in. He was driving around the neighborhood and seemed suspicious. At first he won't cooperate but then he hears that Dan's gun was found on Hal's body. He offers to go into the house and get Cindy out, but is told no. He slips away and calls Cindy to tell her that he is on his way over. Cindy doesn't want to leave her parents but her mother forces her too. Once she is gone and Ralphy is asleep, Dan tells Ellie that when the money arrives, one of them will have to go along as hostage, just until the criminals are safely out of town. She goes hysterical when she realizes it will be her husband. Dan tells her to wait four hours and call the police. A call from the security guard at Dan's workplace tells them the special delivery letter is there. Dan goes to get it and walks home, per Glenn's instructions. Two men approach him and ask if he is Mr. Hilliard. He denies it at first but is taken to the home of a neighbor. Cindy is there, as well as many police officers. They are going to train guns on the Hilliard home from the attic window. Dan begs them not to and admits to writing the anonymous note. They are frustrated because he didn't trust them enough to get help when he had the chance. At last they agree to let him go home but only for a short time. Glenn wants to take the entire family with them. They lock themselves in a bedroom. Dan convinces Kobish to open the front door because he heard a noise. When Kobish does, Dan shoves him out and locks the door. The police shoot him to death. Ellie manages to escape through the back door to the neighbors, but Glenn pulls a gun on Ralphy. Dan orders Ralphy to leave, that Glenn will not harm him because the gun is empty. When Ralphy gets away, it is just Dan and Glenn. Dan tells him that his brother is dead and that he, Glenn, is responsible. Seeing that he has no choice, Glenn goes outside and throws a rock to burst one of the police lights. He too is killed. The family returns to their house, accompanied by Chuck.