Dial 1119

Directed by Gerald Mayer, Dial 1119 follows a disturbed individual (Marshall Thompson’s Gunther Wyckoff) as he escapes from a mental institution and holds a room full of bar patrons hostage. Filmmaker Mayer, working from a screenplay by John Monks Jr., delivers a watchable yet thoroughly hit-and-miss endeavor that gets off to a less-than-impressive start, as the movie kicks off with an excessively deliberate opening stretch that does prove a test to one’s patience – with the table-setting atmosphere, at least, alleviated by Paul Vogel’s shadowy visuals and several appealing performances. (William Conrad’s turn as a surly bartender named Chuckles remains an obvious highlight.) It’s clear, then, that Dial 1119 benefits from a mostly stirring midsection that contains several top-notch scenes and sequences, including a terrific (and tense) interlude wherein Chuckles attempts to stop Gunther, and while it generally feels too long even at just 75 minutes, the picture builds towards a satisfying climax that cements its place as a decent-enough (albeit entirely forgettable) film noir.

**1/2 out of ****