J W
Paul Walker did an amazing job in this movie. I mean he really carried this movie.
Rated 4/5 Stars •
Rated 4 out of 5 stars
03/21/23
Full Review
Liam N
Hours tells the story of a father facing the biggest personal tragedy of his life, while being stuck In a hospital during Hurricane Katrina. Did I mention there's a baby?! Paul walker puts on a Very, Very good and personal performance. Highlighting walkers likeability and ability to depict desperation, the first time director allows Paul to shine. The story is a character study on the lengths a father would go to save and protect his child. Hours has some twist and turns, good dialog and a emotional tone. hours also proves once again when Paul walker had A good structure and scrpit, he could dance with just about anyone.
7.6/10
Rated 4/5 Stars •
Rated 4 out of 5 stars
03/12/23
Full Review
Audience Member
Short review: Hours is a surprising sleeper movie that kept me engaged throughout. The emotional, personal, and simple story that gets more and more desperate as it progresses had me at the edge of my seat. For being such a short run time, every second is used intelligently minus a few flashback scenes that felt slightly mishandled. Characters are instantly engaging, especially the morally upstanding ones early on, which perfectly balances the less desirables introduced post-hurricane. Often, you are left with the external monologue of the protagonist. If I had to level a complaint, it would be in acting. Paul Walker is certainly giving it his all, but I just feel like he wasn't the right fit. Thankfully, he grows as the movie progresses. The soundtrack is powerfully emotional at all the proper times. Special effects are used sparingly and generally don't have many problems. I will say the baby looks like the obvious puppet it is on close-in shots, but this will not break immersion. I cannot recommend this movie enough and I can't think of anything quite like it.
The story of Hours revolves around a husband's wife dying during childbirth while Hurricane Katrina rages around them and the aftermath of surviving with the baby, but being unable to leave for more than a few minutes. It's deeply personal, covering heavy subjects of grieving, desperation, and moving on. The scenes with emotion are given the space to breath, letting you really take them in and it's both surprising as well as appreciated how much of a priority is put on this with such a short run time. With generally only the protagonist on screen, the empty building he resides in is often moody to the point of being a suspense horror setting and I loved it. The characters mercifully make logical decisions generally, not relying on bad choices to forward the plot, which is good because the situation deteriorates constantly, though I never felt exhausted by that either. I also appreciate a timeline of events to follow and wish more movies would utilize this simple text for audiences (when appropriate anyway). The story uses a lot of showing and telling, though it was perhaps a bit too timid in its allowance for the audience to connect the dots. Setup and payoff is used sparingly, but intelligently. The only real downside is the poorly depicted flashback scenes. Altogether, the plot is best seen unspoiled.
Characters are the strong point of this film as the story is character-centric more than the average movie. In the first seven minutes, I instantly loved much of the hospital staff while receiving very little exposition on them. This is realistic from the protagonist's point of view as he wouldn't know these people either. This is a good early offset to the antagonists that come in after the hurricane, so the film never gets too depressing or nihilistic. The acting ranges from good to great. While Paul Walker is clearly putting his all into the film, I do not feel this role played to his strengths, but thankfully, the setting and plot is so strong, you barely even notice. This is further helped by a natural growth into the role as it progresses.
Special effects are minimally used and when they are, they look fairly good. I will say the close-in shots of the baby are very obviously a puppet, but I never felt it was completely immersion breaking.
The soundtrack is very barebones in the best way, offering emotional keys at appropriate moments, but never overpowering the scene either. Sound design is also very moody, making you sometimes jump at a noise, wondering what will come of it? Something bad? Something good?
Scenes are tight-in shots, making you feel as claustrophobic as the characters on screen. But on the occasion when a character ventured outside, it does offer something beyond that.
Hours is hard to review because it's tough to know what to say without ruining the film. I certainly want to say more than I did. I just cannot recommend this film enough and there really isn't a comparable movie to it. The best thing to do is go watch it without any foreknowledge. The few issues with it are not enough to diminish what is a well developed and unique plot with engaging characters. It will keep you in a grip of tension, wondering what will happen next and off your phone in boredom.
Rated 4/5 Stars •
Rated 4 out of 5 stars
02/04/23
Full Review
scrypt k
In terms of a film centered on an infamous disaster, "Hours" stands apart by portraying Hurricane Katrina's aftermath as a background element rather than the driving force taking center stage. This worked to its benefit, as it allowed for a more focused lens on the role of the father and his endeavors to keep his newly born daughter alive; no matter the cost. Though it wrapped up sooner and more abruptly than I would have preferred, the heart-gripping narrative that unfolded at a meticulous pace kept me at the edge of my seat from start to finish.
Rated 4/5 Stars •
Rated 4 out of 5 stars
03/31/23
Full Review
Liam D
A tense and emotional thriller that shows the late Paul Walker (Brokedown Palace, Timeline) at his best acting abilities
Rated 4/5 Stars •
Rated 4 out of 5 stars
10/02/22
Full Review
Audience Member
Set during hurricane Katrina, a man, played by Paul Walker, rushes his pregnant wife into an emergency room only to lose her during premature childbirth.
With the storm knocking power out and the inhabitants of the hospital fleeing he must keep his baby alive in an incubator powered by a generator the has to be manually cranked every few minutes for 48 hours. Walker does a pretty admirable job carrying this film alone for the most part. Some tense scenes and a pretty emotional performance makes this a worthwhile watch.
Rated 3/5 Stars •
Rated 3 out of 5 stars
01/18/23
Full Review
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