Rating summary

Movie		2.5
Video		3.5
Audio		4.0
Extras		1.0
Overall		3.0

Desperate Hours Blu-ray Movie Review

Reviewed by Jeffrey Kauffman August 7, 2022

As someone who was born and raised in Salt Lake City, I can tell you from personal experience there is (or at least was) probably no safer place on earth, though of course those who remember incidences like the Elizabeth Smart kidnapping or who have relatively recently been gobsmacked by the shenanigans portrayed in Under the Banner of Heaven may choose to quibble with me on specifics, if not generalities. One of the kind of peculiar if perhaps slightly humorous things about this remake of 1955's The Desperate Hours is that it moved the story from Indianapolis (another burg few would probably think of as a hotbed of criminal activity) to the outskirts of my natal enclave. Another perhaps slightly comical if subliminal aspect is the fact that the introduction of the hardscrabble bad guy played by Mickey Rourke in this film includes the character being chained and shackled like a certain Hannibal Lecter, which in this instance is a bit ironic since none other than Anthony Hopkins is on hand as Rourke's co-star, as a seemingly mild mannered guy who is in the throes of both marital dysfunction and, ultimately, a home invasion.

Desperate Hours received a prior release on Blu-ray as part of a "double feature" from Shout! Factory that included The Pope of Greenwich Village and Desperate Hours. Those unfamiliar with the basic plot mechanics of the film are encouraged to read Svet Atanasov's Desperate Hours Blu-ray review of the Shout! release. Svet's review is also a good source for screenshot comparisons. As I repeat ad infinitum when these re-releases show up, different reviewers means different opinions, and I'm evidently less a fan of this version of the story than Svet was.

Desperate Hours Blu-ray Movie, Video Quality 

Desperate Hours is presented on Blu-ray courtesy of the MVD Rewind Collection, an imprint of MVD Visual, with an AVC encoded 1080p transfer in 1.85:1. Based solely on screenshot comparison, I frankly see little to no difference between this presentation and the Shout! Factory disc reviewed by Svet some time ago. This has a really nice vivid palette for the most part, with consistent densities and good accountings of everything from some almost comically bright reds to some of the more subdued neutral tones that populate the home that's invaded in the film. Outdoor photography offers some really gorgeous vistas with typically nice detail levels, and the interior scenes have excellent fine detail in the many close-ups. There are some variances in grain resolution especially, with some darker scenes having a "traditional" clumpy and kind of yellowish quality. A few interstitial downturns in clarity and upticks in grittiness can also kind of come and go out of nowhere. You'll note that while Svet gave a 4.0 in the actual specs for video, he downgraded that slightly in his comments to 3.75, and I'm probably in the same ballpark here.

Desperate Hours Blu-ray Movie, Audio Quality 

This MVD release ups the audio ante somewhat from the Shout! Factory release by offering both DTS-HD Master Audio 5.1 and LPCM 2.0 options. The surround track nicely opens up sonics with regard to both some ambient environmental sounds (there are a number of outdoor sequences, including two substantial chase sequences) as well as David Mansfield's kind of manic score. Dialogue is rendered cleanly and clearly throughout. Optional English, French and Spanish subtitles are available.

Desperate Hours Blu-ray Movie, Special Features and Extras 

• Behind the Scenes Featurette (HD; 5:32) is an archival EPK.


• Photo Gallery (HD) is authored without a timecode, but does advance automatically, so have the Pause button on your remote handy if you want to linger on any given image.


• Trailers includes Desperate Hours (HD; 1:58), along with trailers for other releases from MVD.

Additionally, the keepcase insert features reversible artwork and the keepcase itself houses a mini poster. Packaging features a slipcover.

Desperate Hours Blu-ray Movie, Overall Score and Recommendation 

My personal advice for anyone wanting the most visceral version of this story is to stick with the 1955 version, which simply can't be topped and manages to "out-suspense" this iteration despite the typical grab bag of Cimino-Rourke bravado (hyperbolic though it may be) that informs this version. Technical merits are generally solid and the price much more palatable than the princely sum the Shout! Factory two-fer is going for these days, for anyone who may be considering making a purchase.