The Desperate Hour
Vertical Entertainment | Release Date: February 25, 2022 CRITIC SCORE DISTRIBUTION
35
METASCORE
Generally unfavorable reviews based on 24 Critic Reviews
Positive:
5
Mixed:
10
Negative:
9
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Critic Reviews

Critic scorePublicationBy date
60
Paste MagazineAurora AmidonFeb 25, 2022
The Desperate Hour, while consistently entertaining and confidently boasting a tight, no-frills script, fights too hard to explain that it does not exist purely by virtue of it being a fun kind of story to tell. Read full review
54
PolygonOli WelshFeb 28, 2022
Watts is fantastic in the film. She excels at desperation and confusion, and she knows how to show naked, raw fragility while disclosing an iron inner strength that’s almost frightening. The film depends on these qualities completely. Read full review
50
San Francisco ChronicleMick LaSalleFeb 25, 2022
Even if the idea of The Desperate Hour makes you uneasy, you will be engrossed by it. Read full review
50
Original-CinLiam LaceyFeb 25, 2022
As the film progresses, the idea of using a school shooting as a subject for a thriller feels deeply ill-conceived, undermining the gravity of the subject it attempts to address. Read full review
50
Chicago Sun-TimesRichard RoeperFeb 24, 2022
Desperate Hour is well-intentioned, and there are flashes of genuine dramatic tension, thanks to Watts’ performance. Mostly, though, it feels contrived and heavy-handed, with nothing really new to say about this well-traveled subject matter. Read full review
42
The Film StageJared Mobarak
While Noyce and Watts try their best to ramp up tension, Sparling’s foundation proves too flimsy to comply. Read full review
40
The TelegraphRobbie CollinFeb 26, 2022
At least Watts’s bright-eyed charisma and obvious commitment passes the time – while director Phillip Noyce, who also had Angelina Jolie running for her life in 2010’s Salt, does his best to keep things visually fresh. Read full review
40
SlashfilmChris EvangelistaSep 14, 2021
I'm sure Lakewood had its heart in the right place, and Watts, gosh love her, is really trying, since she's pretty much the only person on screen for most of the movie. But every step Amy takes towards the school is another misstep the movie makes, and by the time she gets to her destination, we've already mentally checked out. Read full review
40
VarietyOwen GleibermanSep 14, 2021
Watts’ commitment holds the movie together. She acts as if that phone were her flesh-and-blood partner. But it’s not. It’s a device impersonating something human. And so is Lakewood. Read full review
40
The GuardianBenjamin Lee
Before things go south, there’s an effectively clammy escalation of panic as Watts leaps from call to call . . . But the script, from Chris Sparling . . . isn’t quite ingenious enough to find ways to involve her in the drama. Read full review
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