NICK OF TIME
A film review by Ben Hoffman
Copyright 1995 Ben Hoffman
There are very few films that are shot in "real time," the term meaning that if the action shown on-screen is supposed to occur over a two-hour period, the film will be a two-hour film. NICK OF TIME was shot with that intent. It is unlikely that the general audience will be aware of it. In any case, NICK OF TIME has little else to distinguish it from the never-ending number of films that are turned out each day.
Like so many other action films, there is a certain amount of suspense ... but not very much. This one is about an ordinary man, Gene Watson (Johnny Depp) who with his daughter, Lynn (Courtney Chase) are kidnaped by a Mr. Smith (Christopher Walken) and Ms. Jones (Roma Maffia). Watson is told that his daughter will be held hostage in a van until Watson shoots and murders the Governor, Eleanor Grant (Marsha Mason) who will be appearing at a re-election rally that day. Watson gets the usual cautionary talk about "no tricks" or your daughter is dead. And that in essence is the movie's plot. We are indirectly asked what we would do under such circumstances and with little time to come up with a feasible plan to thwart the kidnapers.
If anything saves the film from the rest of this year's action films, all of which contain the good guys vs. the bad, it is that the acting here is somewhat better than most films of that ilk. Johnny Depp and Christopher Walken are the principals involved in most of the action. An important role is played by Huey (Charles S. Dutton) as a shoeshine man who aids Watson's try to thwart the villains.
However, the rest of the cast, even those important to the story, are on the screen only for very short times. Marsha Mason, Brendan Grant (as her husband) and even Roma Maffia are only in the film in short takes, perhaps to keep the film in the "real time."
Directed by John Badham
2 bytes
4 Superb
3 Too good to be missed
2 So so
1 Save your money.
-- Ben Hoffman
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