Nick Of Time
Ninety Minutes. Six Bullets. No Choice
The clock is ticking for Johnny Depp in Nick Of Time, a twist-filled, race-against-time thriller directed by John Badham. And indeed it is a race, filmed in "real time" so that onscreen events unfold minute by nail-biting minute as they would in real life.
No sooner does accountant arrive at L.A.'s Union Station with his six-year-old daughter than he's plunged into a nightmare. Two shadowy strangers separate Watson from his little girl, slap a gun into his hand and present a devil's bargain: kill a top government official before she leaves a nearby political rally...or never again see his beloved child. The clock starts now.
Member Reviews
Corny Idea, Corny Title, Corny Movie - c4th
The director attempted to create a high level thriller that occurs in real time. The experiment failed. It is just too unbelievable that all the action could take place in 75 minutes. Once you start looking for the flaws, it doesn't take much to spot where the director cheated in order to compress the time required. Even if you dismiss the real time element as unimportant, you'll still be disappointed. All that resulted from this experiment in creativity was a second rate thriller at best. I found myself paying more attention to the clock than to the TV screen.
Also - Could they have come up with a cornier title?Strong on Suspense; Weak on Plot - Frederic
This movie has a lot going for it: real time (12 noon to 1:30), good acting, and thrilling scenes.
As with most real time shows, the plot is full of holes that don't show during a scene, but on reflection, just seems unbelievable. If you are not so finicky about plot (and the wash of constant tension is the main thing here) this is not noticeable.
Obvious spin-offs are the TV show 24 and the movie Phone Booth. If you liked those shows, you should love this movie.
The R movie rating is wrong. Despite a lot of swearing, this is a PG film. There is no nudity and little graphic violence. This movie reguarly shows uncut on non-cable TV (which incidentally destroys its real time theme).
Also, I suspect that there have been 5 to 10 minutes cut from the director's original vision; there is a five minute skip from the movie start (12:05) and five minutes goes missing during the last half hour. The movie was issued originally at the length given here, but I suspect some day a 'director's cut' will reveal extra missing footage. Check for the newest release.Worth a Watch - Maddog
I had seen this movie a few years back and recently rerented it. I think it is a good movie to while away 90 minutes. I am a big fan of Depp, and while I think this is far from his best, I still enjoyed it enough to recommend it as a reasonable way to spend an afternoon. I find some of the acting/filming/scripting melodramatic, but that may be the genre that the director is using. It has a good ensemble cast including walken and dutton. This is a rent, not a purchase.
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Corny Idea, Corny Title, Corny Movie - c4th
The director attempted to create a high level thriller that occurs in real time. The experiment failed. It is just too unbelievable that all the action could take place in 75 minutes. Once you start looking for the flaws, it doesn't take much to spot where ...Strong on Suspense; Weak on Plot - Frederic
This movie has a lot going for it: real time (12 noon to 1:30), good acting, and thrilling scenes.
As with most real time shows, the plot is full of holes that don't show during a scene, but on reflection, just seems unbelievable. If you are not ...Worth a Watch - Maddog
I had seen this movie a few years back and recently rerented it. I think it is a good movie to while away 90 minutes. I am a big fan of Depp, and while I think this is far from his best, I still enjoyed it enough to recommend it as a reasonable way to spend ...