Four Hours to Kill!

1935 Directed by Mitchell Leisen

A detective who has "four hours to kill" before delivering his prisoner, an escaped killer, spends the time in the lobby of a Broadway theater where a musical is playing. The film focuses on the relationship between the two men, and also between various characters in the theater audience, staff and cast.

Richard Barthelmess Ray Milland Joe Morrison Gertrude Michael Helen Mack Dorothy Tree Roscoe Karns Charles C. Wilson Henry Travers Noel Madison Paul Harvey Olive Tell Lee Kohlmar Bodil Rosing Lois Kent

70 mins More details at IMDb TMDb Report this film

Popular reviews

Review by Rick Burin ★★★★★ 4

Terrific, ingenious little thriller, adapted by Norman Krasna from his own play, about a vengeful killer (former silent star Richard Barthelmess) spending his last few hours of freedom in a theatre, handcuffed to a cop. Around the pair play out various domestic dramas - neat slice-of-life portraits - enacted by the likes of Ray Milland, Helen Mack and Henry Travers. The first of these seems a bit melodramatic (and lets its obnoxious adulterer off too lightly), but it's crucial to much of what follows, which is smart, slick, compassionate, moving and even induces a genuine gasp.
The script is first-rate - and funny - the direction from one of the great filmmakers of the Golden Age is suitably atmospheric, and there's…
Review by trolleyfreak ★★★★½

Whoever was responsible for the decision to change the title of Norman Krasna's adaptation of his own intricately structured three-act play from Small Miracle to Four Hours To Kill!, give that man - or woman! - a huge pat on the back because its double meaning is very, very clever: a cop (Charles C. Wilson) is escorting a handcuffed prisoner (Richard Barthelmess) to a date with the hangman's noose but as he has four hours to kill before the train departs and is a nice guy, the lawman takes his charge to the theatre which gives the condemned man four hours to kill the stoolie (Noel Madison) responsible for his capture... if he can escape from his predicament in time…
Review by Owen ★★★★ 2

Thanks to Scott and Rick for publicising this one, it's well worth seeking out.
Richard Barthelmess' captured fugitive is hanging around a theatre to kill four hours and his re-escape gets entangled in the web of extortion and infidelity going on amongst the customers and staff.
It shows it's stage bound origins in it's limited (although impressive) sets, finely detailed plotting, deep characters and funny on the nose dialogue while bringing Leisen's usual sure cinematic hand and the last gasps of Barthelmess' movie star charisma.
Barthelmess, looking facially very stiff, uses his soft voice brilliantly and does his trademarked 'decent man who has done bad things and knows there's no way back in this hellish world' almost as well as…
Review by Filipe Furtado ★★★★

A single set (a theater lobby) closed time (the four hours of the tile) little thriller full of small neurotic plots while a convict tries to find time to kill the stooge who send him to jail. Very tight and well-written moving well between the situations while hightlighting a sense of doom. Richard Barthelmess is great as the convict, one of his best socially pressectuted man on his last hopes parts (his last leading man role). The very efficient direction is by Mitchell Leisen.
Review by matnol9 ★★★½

A good little ‘just over an hour to kill” Paramount drama which all takes place at a plush theatre...The first half pretty straightforward as we’re introduced to each of the character’s and the predicaments they’re in...The second half things start to pick up which makes the film payoff.
Solid performance and scenes with Richard Barthelmess as the condemned prisoner of detective Taft Charles C. Wilson...Ray Milland the well supplied playboy...Eddie Joe Morrison the coat check attendant whose got himself in a pickle..with what else..a woman and money...Paul Harvey as the tough talking Captain...Roscoe Karns breaks up the drama with comic relief as an expecting father...and Henry Travers whose sensitive ‘tuchus’ plays a pivotal role.
Review by Citizen_K ★★★★½

Director Mitchell Leisen's reputation continues to soar, and films like this are why.
Four Hours to Kill! is seriously brilliant, replicating a real-time sense of drama unfolding in the context of an evening's theater as it follows the stories of a handful of people in attendance there, those who work there and some who don't, most of whom are there to hide or plan or scheme or avoid. The film uses sound ingeniously to unify its dramatic and physical spaces and lend a palpable feeling of being there in the theater, the lobby, the restrooms, the fire escapes and surrounding environs. The theatrical show is heard throughout the movie as it proceeds, no matter what part of the building the…
Review by PUNQ ★★★½

Discovering more of Richard Barthelmess' filmography turns up some nice gems! He wasn't always the easiest of actors to cast, but when getting the right part he's really effective! This one comes at the dawn of his career. When producers wasn't giving him prestige work anymore. But he's given interesting parts.

Here as a escaped prisoner who is recaptured and ready for delivery. Except they missed their transport and need to kill off four hours for the nest ride. They do so by going to a theater to watch a show. And that's why we spend the entire movie in the lobby getting snapshots of various peoples lives in the process. One from the Grand Hotel (1932) genre. Thriller variation and very good too! You won't be sorry for giving this a chance!

Recent reviews

Review by matnol9 ★★★½

A good little ‘just over an hour to kill” Paramount drama which all takes place at a plush theatre...The first half pretty straightforward as we’re introduced to each of the character’s and the predicaments they’re in...The second half things start to pick up which makes the film payoff.
Solid performance and scenes with Richard Barthelmess as the condemned prisoner of detective Taft Charles C. Wilson...Ray Milland the well supplied playboy...Eddie Joe Morrison the coat check attendant whose got himself in a pickle..with what else..a woman and money...Paul Harvey as the tough talking Captain...Roscoe Karns breaks up the drama with comic relief as an expecting father...and Henry Travers whose sensitive ‘tuchus’ plays a pivotal role.
Review by Fredrik Fyhr ★★★½

Entertaining panoramic mystery, sort of a cheapie Grand Hotel that throws in a few musical numbers while at it. Takes place in and around the performance of a musical; commissioner (Richard Barthelmess) has [title] before handing over a convicted serial killer to the gallows, then there's a bunch of other characters messing about too. Directed with elegance, neatly written, well acted, full of surprises and certainly full of old-fashioned thriller coze.
Review by Filipe Furtado ★★★★

A single set (a theater lobby) closed time (the four hours of the tile) little thriller full of small neurotic plots while a convict tries to find time to kill the stooge who send him to jail. Very tight and well-written moving well between the situations while hightlighting a sense of doom. Richard Barthelmess is great as the convict, one of his best socially pressectuted man on his last hopes parts (his last leading man role). The very efficient direction is by Mitchell Leisen.
Review by tga

[migrated from DB:movie.douban.com/subject/6530949/]这竟然是部群戏剧情片。。。还有犯罪元素，真不像Leisen拍的题材。
Review by Citizen_K ★★★★½

Director Mitchell Leisen's reputation continues to soar, and films like this are why.
Four Hours to Kill! is seriously brilliant, replicating a real-time sense of drama unfolding in the context of an evening's theater as it follows the stories of a handful of people in attendance there, those who work there and some who don't, most of whom are there to hide or plan or scheme or avoid. The film uses sound ingeniously to unify its dramatic and physical spaces and lend a palpable feeling of being there in the theater, the lobby, the restrooms, the fire escapes and surrounding environs. The theatrical show is heard throughout the movie as it proceeds, no matter what part of the building the…
Review by DFvideodiary

Fab crime tale set in the lobby of a theater where the lives of several characters cross each other as a show plays on stage. Ray Milland is a tarty fop and Richard Barthelmess is a killer handcuffed to a cop. Uh oh. Worth a spin.
Review by trolleyfreak ★★★★½

Whoever was responsible for the decision to change the title of Norman Krasna's adaptation of his own intricately structured three-act play from Small Miracle to Four Hours To Kill!, give that man - or woman! - a huge pat on the back because its double meaning is very, very clever: a cop (Charles C. Wilson) is escorting a handcuffed prisoner (Richard Barthelmess) to a date with the hangman's noose but as he has four hours to kill before the train departs and is a nice guy, the lawman takes his charge to the theatre which gives the condemned man four hours to kill the stoolie (Noel Madison) responsible for his capture... if he can escape from his predicament in time…
Review by Owen ★★★★ 2

Thanks to Scott and Rick for publicising this one, it's well worth seeking out.
Richard Barthelmess' captured fugitive is hanging around a theatre to kill four hours and his re-escape gets entangled in the web of extortion and infidelity going on amongst the customers and staff.
It shows it's stage bound origins in it's limited (although impressive) sets, finely detailed plotting, deep characters and funny on the nose dialogue while bringing Leisen's usual sure cinematic hand and the last gasps of Barthelmess' movie star charisma.
Barthelmess, looking facially very stiff, uses his soft voice brilliantly and does his trademarked 'decent man who has done bad things and knows there's no way back in this hellish world' almost as well as…
Review by PUNQ ★★★½

Discovering more of Richard Barthelmess' filmography turns up some nice gems! He wasn't always the easiest of actors to cast, but when getting the right part he's really effective! This one comes at the dawn of his career. When producers wasn't giving him prestige work anymore. But he's given interesting parts.

Here as a escaped prisoner who is recaptured and ready for delivery. Except they missed their transport and need to kill off four hours for the nest ride. They do so by going to a theater to watch a show. And that's why we spend the entire movie in the lobby getting snapshots of various peoples lives in the process. One from the Grand Hotel (1932) genre. Thriller variation and very good too! You won't be sorry for giving this a chance!
Review by Rick Burin ★★★★★ 4

Terrific, ingenious little thriller, adapted by Norman Krasna from his own play, about a vengeful killer (former silent star Richard Barthelmess) spending his last few hours of freedom in a theatre, handcuffed to a cop. Around the pair play out various domestic dramas - neat slice-of-life portraits - enacted by the likes of Ray Milland, Helen Mack and Henry Travers. The first of these seems a bit melodramatic (and lets its obnoxious adulterer off too lightly), but it's crucial to much of what follows, which is smart, slick, compassionate, moving and even induces a genuine gasp.
The script is first-rate - and funny - the direction from one of the great filmmakers of the Golden Age is suitably atmospheric, and there's…