Nick of Time
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Movie Reviews of Nick of Time
Movie Review: Not too bad a movie
Summary: 3 Stars
I got this DVD purely for Johnny Depp, plus it was quite cheap, so that makes all the difference, right? Apart from the fact that he looked so much better without the glasses, and he was called Gene Watson (of all names!), it turned out to be an alright movie.
If you can ignore the continuous clock watching, and Christopher Walken always suddenly appearing in the background, and generally getting in the way, you'll probably get sucked in. But if you find these things distracting, you probably won't enjoy it as much. To be honest, the clock watching was getting on my nerves, as well as Christopher Walken & his ratty little mustache. But Johnny Depp is pretty much the centre of attention the whole time.
I've never seen the series 24, so this was my first experience of "real time". I found it quite good actually, despite the clock watching, and there were no slow bits, and you're constantly on the edge of your seat. Although, Johnny is far better in the more eccentric roles he chooses - he's never been a Hollywood starlet, who accepts every script he's shown. Most of the time, he looks uncomfortable with the gun, and as the clean shaven, short haired, bespectacled smart guy, he doesn't have the same appeal as the long haired kooky guy he normally portrays.
Some people have said why at the start, didn't he just grab his daughter, and shoot Christopher Walken's character in the head? Well, stupid, then there wouldn't be a movie!
There is a rather dodgy scene, a dream sequence, which will throw you completely. I didn't really think about it at the time the movie is supposed to be in real-time. I was too distracted by the fact that a gun which only holds 6 bullets, manages to shoot 7 or 8 if not more, without ever running out. Strange.
Sure, the plot of the story has a few minor holes, but it's still a good movie. But if you want to see a good Johnny Depp performance, grab one of his older movies, Benny & Joon, or something similar. They can probably be bought dead cheap. He's good in Pirates of The Caribbean, but the rest of the movie isn't up to scratch.
Movie Review: best watching the first time
Summary: 3 Stars
It was an okay watch for the first time; afterwards, it will lose a bit of effect. It was still interesting and fast-moving.
I especially didn't like the governor's character. She didn't seem that bright. Depp's character told her that he was going to have to kill her to save his daughter if she made a final speech. He said her husband wanted her dead, advised her to get out of that speech, and that she wouldn't be able to. She tried to cancel...but her
husband convinced her to change her mind.
Then, the husband said he sent her assistant on an "errand"...but Depp had told her that the assistant was dead. I figure that was more than enough to definitely not do the speech. When the guns are going off, she just stands around forever.
Ultimately, it was Mr. Walken's portrayal of the blackmailer that carried this film. He was evil and had some funny moments at the same time. I chuckled when Depp said something like "You're insane." and Walken pauses a moment and goes "What's your point?"; or when Depp's leaving a bathroom and is told to wash his hands.
His character wasn't perfect, of course. I would have especially been more suspicious when Depp goes to the shoe shine man a second time; also, when I saw the man laugh a bit/nod after I said something to him...after being told that he was deaf.
The "real-time" idea was cool, but I wish it was more...real. When the clock changed in the film to 12:17 and my digital clock nearby said the same thing, I expected it to be accurate with the passage of time. Yet time passed too quickly in the flick.
I noted that the region 2 DVD says the time is 90 minutes; but the other says that it's 88 minutes. What happened to the two minutes?
Movie Review: Generic thriller.
Summary: 3 Stars
Nick of Time (John Badham, 1995)John Badham is yet another of those directors you alternately want to embrace and pummel. Originally a stock director on Rod Serling's wonderful series Night Gallery (and responsible for that show's most genuinely chilling episode, "Green Fingers"), Badham went onto one of those painfully inconsistent movie careers that make one wonder whether the hits are talent or luck. Is the guy who directed Saturday Night Fever and Wargames really the same person responsible for Stakeout (and, worse, its sequel), Short Circuit, and the stultifyingly bad made-for-TV flick Brother's Keeper? So one never knows what one is going to come up with when encountering a Badham film.
Nick of Time falls halfway between, but nudging onto the good side. Much of this has to do with Johnny Depp and Christopher Walken in the main roles, with support from an astonishingly fine cast of minor characters (Charles S. Dutton, Marsha Mason, Gloria Reuben, Peter Strauss, Roma Maffia, and many more). In this episode of "generic thriller," Walken (with Maffia as an accomplice) have kidnapped Depp's daughter, and in order to get her back, they want a favor: kill the governor of California (Mason), who's on the campaign trail for re-election. Depp has ninety minutes to do so, and Walken is usually standing over his shoulder trying to figure out why the guy's so blessedly incompetent.
While this is not one of either Depp or Walken's more outstanding performances, both are quite capable in their roles. The plot is good, if brainless, and the pace is well done. There's really nothing bad to be said about this film, although there's nothing that makes it stand out from the crop, either. A good way to spend a couple of brainless hours. ** ½
Movie Review: Hold your child's hand at the transit station!
Summary: 3 Stars
Good addition for my Depp collection. Not the greatest movie ever, but it did showcase Depp's subtle style and Walken's knack for playing the pathological character. Depp's performance resonated, Walken's style entertained me on the spot, and Dutton portrayed his character as a great foil to Walken's. There are some humorous parts, i.e. the rollerblading scene. I was distracted by the little girl. (I am a mother, and little girls do not just sit in the car that long and behave that well.) The moral of the story: Hold your child's hand at the transit station! And in general, if you see Christopher Walken, RUN the other way!!Movie Review: DVD - Nick of Time
Summary: 3 Stars
I love this movie. It is very exciting. The only thing that keeps me from rating this 4-stars is that approximately ten or more minutes is missing near the very end of the movie.That spoiled it for me.