Marvellous acting by antagonists Douglas and Lancaster, complemented by sexy and sophisticated Ava Gardner. Fredric March turns in one of his last great performances as a US President who has just negotiated a disarmament treaty with the Soviet Union. Douglas, playing a Marine Colonel and Director of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, becomes disturbed by a number of peculiar events surrounding the JCS Chairman (Lancaster), which lead him to believe his superior is planning a coup d'etat. By the time he manages to convince the White House that his suspicions are correct, less than seven days remain till the fateful hour -- which will destroy the Constitution and may lead to World War III. Frankenheimer's direction is stark and taut, worthy of Hitchcock, while Rod Serling's screenplay remains truer to the novel than perhaps any other novel adaptation ever filmed. Watch for an uncredited appearance by John Houseman.
Review of Seven Days in May
