Suddenly Rating: Release Date: 19 March, 2002 Retail Price: $7.98 OUR Price: $7.98 You SAVE: $0.00! Cast: Frank Sinatra Sterling Hayden Nancy Sinatra Lewis Allen Complete Cast (9 total)

Suddenly Reviews

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Meat 'n' Potatoes with Tommy Guns
This is a great slice of Americana, a true "Period Piece." Sinatra was a competent actor and probably could have paid the bills this way even if he hadn't been a remarkably talented singer. It's not everybody who can pull off a menacing tough-guy when he weighs 118 soaking wet. This film presents itself in stark tones both visually and thematically. Patriotism, courage, honor, sacrifice. The words necessary to make that into a sentence would only sully the higher meaning; and that's the feeling you get as you watch this film. It is sparse, but self-assured. Think of it as the lost episode of "The Andy Griffith Show."

Short, Tight Post-War Thriller Driven by Frank Sinatra's Intensity.
The Western town of Suddenly was once bustling with gold prospectors, but "things happen so slow now, the Town Council is figuring to change the name to Gradually." That is until one day when the President of the United States schedules a stop in Suddenly and professional assassins aim for it to be his last. Town Sheriff Tod Shaw (Sterling Hayden) is notified that the President will be arriving on the 5 o'clock train. A team of Secret Service men arrive to make sure the town is secure. But 3 assassins led by John Baron (Frank Sinatra) are a step ahead of them. They take over the Benson house that sits on a hill overlooking the train station and hold the family hostage, terrorizing and threatening retired Secret Service man "Pop" Benson (James Gleason), his widowed daughter-in-law Ellen (Nancy Gates), and her young son Pidge (Kim Charney), waiting for the train carrying the President to arrive.

Frank Sinatra's cold-blooded, loquacious assassin John Baron is "Suddenly"'s driving force. He's amoral, self-absorbed, and only in it for the money... and the self-respect. Baron mocks even his clients who paid him so much money to shoot a President who will be replaced in a matter of minutes. John Baron is an interesting enough guy to listen to -thanks to Frank Sinatra's intensity, but the character is striking because this film was released in 1954, when a World War II hero was in the White House and the nation was enjoying the prosperity that war had brought. Yet John Baron attributes his killer instincts to his experience as a soldier, for which he was awarded a Silver Star. He says of killing in the Army, " They taught me how, and I liked it." "After the show I hooked up with an outfit for good dough." Screenwriter Richard Sale emphasized the irony in a presidential assassin who learned to kill by fighting for his country. On top of that, John Baron is played by a draft evader.

Frank Sinatra makes "Suddenly" tick, but he has a nice foil in tall, handsome Sterling Hayden, whose Sheriff exudes warmth in contrast to Sinatra's assassin. Nancy Gates' primary role as Ellen is to be overprotective of her son Pidge, which she does convincingly and with great conviction. Actor Jim Lilburn, playing television repairman Jud Hobson, provides a little accidental comedy when his Irish accent comes through at moments of high emotion. Lilburn was Maureen O'Hara's brother and also went by the stage name James O'Hara. "Suddenly" is a tight, entertaining little thriller driven by Frank Sinatra's star power. Its violent, cynical veteran is considered by some critics to place the film within the definition of film noir.

The DVD (Refers to the Master Movies/Parade 1998 disc only.): This is not a restored print of the film. There are specks and fine lines, and the picture flickers a few times around the 1 hour mark. Bonus features are: "Critical Comment", which is test excerpts from a few reviews. There are short text bios for director Lewis Allen, composer David Raksin, writer Richard Sale, cameraman C.G. Clarke, James Gleason, Frank Sinatra, Nancy Gates, Sterling Hayden. Subtitles are available for the film in Japanese.

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