The Hostage

1967 Noir.

I'm happy to annouce a return to the roots of this humble movies blog: B movies from the good old times. The latest entries have all been related to blockbusters that pay homange to actual B movies but you know it is just not the same, so I proudly announce a return to the Crown International Pictures vast catalogue.The Hostage, is a 1967 film directed by Russel S. Doughten Jr.  based on a Henry Farrell novel of the same name.  The story begins when little Davey gets in the way of his parents when they're trying to pack up their belongings to move to another house, he enters the removal truck and unknowingly gets locked it. The removalists Bull(some name huh) and Eddie happen to be criminals, and they use the truck to transport a dead body and Davey witnesses the two burying the body. Bull spots him, and they imprison him. Meanwhile his parents have grown worried over his disappearance, and their interfering neighbour claim to see him with a vagrant, which leads everyone chasing the wrong lead.

Desperate daddy.

Can this vagrant hold the key to little Davey's whereabouts?

Like some reviewers have stated, The Hostage does have a striking resemblance to Macauley Culkin's "Home Alone (1990)", but without comic humour. What eventuates from "The Hostage" is dry suspense leisurely springing from a reasonably old-fashion and simplified plot (taken off Henery Farrell's novel) of well-conceived episodic sub-plot developments to gradually lead up to its suspenseful closing. Really, this minimalist low-budget production is nothing out of the ordinary, but it was the name of character actor Harry Dean Stanton which drove my interest to watch it. His nervous performance was solid, as the scrawny, slow-witted criminal Eddie, but it was Don Kelly's ominously hammy turn as the "Oh, I can get so angry after a few drinks. So you better not cross me" browbeater villain Bull. A cranky looking John Carradine pops up as the bumming vagrant Otis P. Lovelace, who has plenty of caustic things to say about his situation. Danny Martins is rather decent in the child role, even though at times he got on my nerves, he was a true nuisance and portrayed a frighten face well enough. The rest of the performances are fine. Director Russell S. Doughten did a sturdily realized job, where his framework is taut and nicely demonstrates few moody and sinister images. Helping out on the smoky atmosphere, was Ted Mikels' stark photography of the locations of Des Moines, Iowa and a washed-out (I don't think it was on purpose) colour scheme. An overwrought and sappy soundtrack is a bit off-putting, and the music score sounds too generic to sustain or create any sort of feeling and tension. Certain moments in the black and white script can lead to some sequences stalling the pace, especially when it's not focusing on the two thugs and the kid.

Don't worry mama, I'll toy ya gently.

Check my 18 wheeler.

Grand finale baricade.

"The Hostage" can feel forced and weepy, but it does have its effective spells and the acting is above-average to make you kinda glad you stole away for the ride. 

Here's the movie trailer: