Stars: Frank Sinatra, Sterling Hayden, James Gleason
Director: Lewis Allen
Writer: Richard Sale
Frank Sinatra is unforgettable as a psychotic war veteran whose goal is to assassinate the president! This cold-blooded thriller feels as savage as it did decades ago when the New York Times called Sinatra’s performance, “a melodramatic tour de force.”
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Classic
I absolutely love this movie, overall.
I never liked the hero – that poor woman had been through enough already w/out some creep who never learned the meaning of "no" following her around. I do understand that persistence was considered a virtue, then, but I still can't like him.
Frank Sinatra, on the other hand, delivered the best villainous performance I've ever seen. Suave, sharp, incredibly charismatic, ruthless, & absolutely unapologetic. I know we're not supposed to be rooting for the villain, but when the villain's this good at being bad… how can you not?
Just as a side note, I also appreciate that they never mention the president's name or party – we're supposed to all be Americans here, no need for division. Division is something we could use a lot less of, these days. So I do appreciate that detail.
Oh my goodness… talk about on-the-nose writing. I had to turn this film off after 5 minutes. The most unsubtle, in-your-face, obvious, unreal dialogue. How writing styles have changed…
And hence the importance of the second amendment 🙂
I LIKE THIS VERSION