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Suddenly

Suddenly

Crime · Thriller · 1954

The tranquility of a small town is marred only by sheriff Tod Shaw's unsuccessful courtship of widow Ellen Benson, a pacifist who can't abide guns and those who use them. But violence descends on Ellen's household willy-nilly when the U.S. President passes through town... and slightly psycho hired assassin John Baron finds the Benson home ideal for an ambush.

Movie details

Suddenly

“A cold-blooded thriller!”

1954 Crime · Thriller 1h 17m

Critical arithmetic

The consensus, allegedly.

IMDb

6.8 / 10

7.6K votes

Rotten Tomatoes

100 %

Tomatometer

TMDB

6.4 / 10

Community rating

External scores via OMDb · CC BY-NC 4.0. Values normalized for display; availability varies by title.

The tranquility of a small town is marred only by sheriff Tod Shaw's unsuccessful courtship of widow Ellen Benson, a pacifist who can't abide guns and those who use them. But violence descends on Ellen's household willy-nilly when the U.S. President passes through town... and slightly psycho hired assassin John Baron finds the Benson home ideal for an ambush.

CriticWise case file

What this film says about your taste.

Not a recommendation score. A measure of how closely the film’s taste signals resemble yours.

The archetype split

Who fights over Suddenly?

The split comes from the same five-axis model used by the test, not audience ratings or review sentiment.

Taste neighbourhood

Nearby on the taste map.

TMDB supplies the candidates. CriticWise reorders them by craft, strangeness, prestige, emotion, and pace.

Crime Wave

Crime Wave

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Executive Action

Executive Action

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Rogue intelligence agents, right-wing politicians, greedy capitalists, and free-lance assassins plot and carry out the JFK assassination in this speculative agitprop.

The Mechanic

The Mechanic

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Arthur Bishop is a veteran hit man who, owing to his penchant for making his targets' deaths seem like accidents, thinks himself an artist. It's made him very rich, but as he hits middle age, he's so depressed and lonely that he takes on one of his victim's sons, Steve McKenna, as his apprentice. Arthur puts him through a rigorous training period and brings him on several hits. As Steven improves, Arthur worries that he'll discover who killed his father.

Ministry of Fear

Ministry of Fear

Crime · 1944

Stephen Neale is released into WWII England after two years in an asylum, but it doesn't seem so sane outside either. On his way back to London to rejoin civilization, he stumbles across a murderous spy ring and doesn't quite know to whom to turn.

Kept Woman

Kept Woman

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Jessica and her fiancé Evan have just moved from the city into their dream home on a quiet suburban street. Soon after, Jessica catches her seemingly friendly new neighbor, Simon, in a strange lie and can't let her suspicions rest. The danger escalates when Simon lures her inside his home and imprisons Jessica in his secret bunker, meticulously decorated in the idealized style of the 1950s.

The Amateur

The Amateur

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After his life is turned upside down when his wife is killed in a London terrorist attack, a brilliant but introverted CIA decoder takes matters into his own hands when his supervisors refuse to take action.

RED

RED

Action · 2010

After surviving an assault from a squad of hit men, retired CIA black ops agent Frank Moses reassembles his old team for an all-out war. Frank reunites with old Joe, crazy Marvin and wily Victoria to uncover a massive conspiracy that threatens their lives. Only their expert training will allow them to survive a near-impossible mission -- breaking into CIA headquarters.

Killer's Kiss

Killer's Kiss

Thriller · 1955

Davey Gordon, a New York City boxer at the end of his career, falls for dancer Gloria Price. However, their budding relationship is interrupted by Gloria's violent boss, Vincent Rapallo, who has eyes for Gloria. The two decide to skip town, but before they can, Vincent and his thugs abduct Gloria, and Davey is forced to search for her among the most squalid corners of the city, with his enemy hiding in the shadows.

The Bourne Supremacy

The Bourne Supremacy

Action · 2004

A CIA operation to purchase classified Russian documents is blown by a rival agent, who then shows up in the sleepy seaside village where Bourne and Marie have been living. The pair run for their lives and Bourne, who promised retaliation should anyone from his former life attempt contact, is forced to once again take up his life as a trained assassin to survive.

The Bourne Legacy

The Bourne Legacy

Action · 2012

New CIA operative Aaron Cross experiences life-or-death stakes that have been triggered by the previous actions of Jason Bourne.

Where it lives

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Names above the title

The people responsible.

Directed by

Lewis Allen

Written by

Richard Sale

Frank Sinatra

Frank Sinatra

John Baron

Sterling Hayden

Sterling Hayden

Sheriff Tod Shaw

James Gleason

James Gleason

Peter 'Pop' Benson

Nancy Gates

Nancy Gates

Ellen Benson

Kim Charney

Kim Charney

Peter 'Pidge' Benson III

Willis Bouchey

Willis Bouchey

Secret Service Detail Chief Dan Carney

Paul Frees

Paul Frees

Benny Conklin

Court is in session

Put Suddenly on trial.

Two incompatible taste archetypes. One film. Read the arguments, then issue a completely binding cultural ruling.

The defence The Big-Idea Head

“Restraint trusts the audience.”

It leaves emotional space unlabelled, trusting viewers to notice what the characters cannot say aloud.

The prosecution The Sentimental Softie

“Distance mistaken for discipline.”

The chill may look elegant, but withholding a heartbeat is not the same as having complicated feelings.