24 Hours to Kill

This is an efficient B movie thriller with location shooting in Lebanon. Former Tarzan, Lex Barker is an airline pilot whose passenger plane bound for Athens is diverted to Beirut because of a mechanical problem and they have 24 hours to kill as the mechanics repair the plane.

Mickey Rooney a member of the flight crew starts to act suspicious for a reason as he is being pursued for past misdeed and it is up to the rest of the flight crew to protect him or come to his rescue.

Diminutive actors Michael Medwin and Mickey Rooney steal the show, the former clearly enjoys the action scenes while Rooney plays a deceitful and conniving rogue which is the reason why he is pursued by the criminal underworld of Beirut.

Aside from the location shooting there is little in the production that is above average.

"24 Hours to Kill" is a rather illogical thriller. It could have been a lot better but the script lets you down instead of providing thrills.

A plane has engine trouble and is rerouted to the nearest airport which is in Beirut. However, one member of the crew, Norman Jones (Mickey Rooney) is NOT happy about the plane going to Lebanon. Why? Well, he tells his fellow crew members that some guys in town are out to get him because they are mad at a friend of his...though this is clearly a lie. It turns out Norman was a gold smuggler...though the last time he did it for these 'friends', he absconded with the gold! Now they want him...and even after finding out the story, the plane's captain (Lex Barker) STILL wants to risk his life and the lives of other crew members to protect the guy!

Aside from being able to see the lovely city before it was destroyed in the civil war of the early 1980s, I can't think of much reason to see this movie. It's not just that it's illogical but it's also very slow and talky when it should have had a lot more action and suspense.

"Twenty four hours to kill" is set in 1965 Beirut at a time when that city perhaps deserved its soubriquet 'The Playground of the Middle East'. Needless to say, today's Beirut has a quite a different international reputation. It is interesting to see the Beirut of nearly 50 years ago in this movie when the French influence on the city was still evident. Other than that, there is little in this film that will hold the interest of the viewer. Lex Barker is somewhat impressive in the lead role and delivers his lines well, but Mickey Rooney adds nothing to this film. Austria-born Walter Slezak plays the villain, but it is not clear whether he is a Fez-cap wearing Turk living in Beirut, or an Arab who was bestowed with a Fez cap by the film's director who thought that every Arab wore one. Of course, in the 1960s, westerners thought Turks and Arabs to be equally exotic and interchangeable. Despite its Middle Eastern setting, local Lebanese are not much in evidence, in this flick. Instead, we have transplanted Westerners dealing with Walter's Slezak's Malouf. Yet, that is not enough to hold the viewer's interest.

Very much a film of its time. Mid-60s, exotic location, imported American stars, glamorous European women and unconvincing fight scenes. I thought I might last ten minutes watching this whilst putting up the Xmas decorations but I ended up watching the whole thing. The reason for that was the excellent direction by Peter Bezencenet and a great turn by the always watchable Michael Medwin. Considering how well directed this film is, I'm surprised to find that Bezencenet only directed four films, and only one after this film.

At two hours (including commercials) it did feel a little on the long side. But the locations, the dresses, the sharp suits, hairstyles and the oblique plot makes for worthwhile viewing.

Despite the exotic location, tried-and-tested leading actor and bevy of beautiful European actresses, 24 HOURS TO KILL is a real chore to sit through. It's a spy thriller produced on the cheap by Harry Alan Towers, shot in Beirut when it was still considered an exotic holiday destination (although that perception was to change, somewhat considerably, in the 1980s!).

The main actor is former Tarzan Lex Barker, who appears as a pilot whose holiday is cut short when he becomes involved in a conspiracy storyline involving fellow crew member Mickey Rooney. What follows is a slightly Bond-style with lots of location photography, glamorous women appearing in bikinis, and a handful of fist fights to keep things rolling along. Unfortunately it's all rather stately, slow, and uninvolving, with little to recommend it other than the scenery. It's one of those films you end up forgetting about just five minutes after watching.