Sale temps pour mourir

When it comes to direct to video, 99 out of a hundred are disasters, but every once in awhile, something entertaining surfaces from the video muck. Such a film is "A Time To Die". The film is far from perfect, needing much tighter editing, in the first half especially regarding Lord's and Conway's pseudo romance. Portions with Lord's Son play like daytime drama, and these diversions drag considerably. Nevertheless, when things get going in the second half, there is action, some crisper editing, and the pace picks up nicely. The acting is totally acceptable for a B movie, along with some rather pleasing night photography. The film has very little nudity, and zero for Tracy Lords, perhaps leading to the low IMDB rating. The movie eventually twists into a totally unpredictable whopper ending. Recommended of it's type. - MERK

This had a lot going for it, but the poor writing totally blew it. The pacing was all wrong and the central conflict of the story was left unexplained (why was Traci Lords' character framed to begin with?).

The first 20 minutes (after the initial opening scene) are an absolute drag. The plot barely advances, while the movie wastes time on irrelevant details. Lords and Roundtree do their best given the material, but can't save it.

Don't get me wrong: I love low-budget movies and I'm not expecting anything elaborate here. But you need a solid foundation: a good story and a screenplay that proceeds logically. Sadly this writer/director failed to deliver.

A Time To Die (1991)-** Directed By: Charles T. Kanganis Starring: Traci Lords, Richard Roundtree, and Jeff Conaway

In terms of pure entertainment value, "A Time To Die" is on par with the same year's "Raw Nerve" also with Traci Lords (See review). "Die" has the edge as far as production value goes. 1991 was a banner year for Traci Lords as these AIP and PM Entertainment productions prove. She also released "Shock Em' Dead" and appeared in some television productions like "Super Force". Her album "1000 Fires" wasn't far behind.

Jeff Conaway plays Frank, an L.A. cop who wears a kickin' sports jacket and has slick hair. One night he breaks up an illegal gun deal and when he gets in over his head, he is almost shot and killed by Hispanic gangsters. Luckily, Jackie Swanson (Lords) arrives on the scene just in time and helps him thwart the bad guys. You see, Jackie is doing her 400 hours of community service by taking pictures for the L.A.P.D. She answers to disgruntled Captain Ralph Phipps (Roundtree).

She incurred this penalty because of a bogus drug charge lodged by corrupt cop Eddie Martin (Ralph Nader lookalike Robert Miano). She's a divorced gal and she has a young son with her ex-husband. If she ever wants to see her son again, she has to complete her "debt to society".

Meanwhile Frank attempts to woo Jackie into a relationship come with mixed results. His pushy nature eventually wins her over for a short period of time. Maybe Frank isn't really the charming cad he thinks he is.

The plot kicks into high gear when Jackie witnesses Eddie killing a pimp and she snaps some pics. Eddie gets wise, and they have a meeting. Jackie wants to use the pics as a bargaining chip to expunge her record so she can see her son. Eddie says "No Dice" and the more conflict ensues, including a gratuitous but enjoyable car blow-up. Will Jackie succeed in seeing her son or will an unexpected twist ruin it all?

One of the highlights of the film is Jackie's son Kevin. He is somewhere between 5 and 8 years old and yet he is a very snappy dresser. He wears a jacket, a tie and cowboy boots at all times, he looks very spiffy. Strangely there is a part of the movie that intercuts a sex scene with Kevin making his own breakfast(!) This might be a movie first. He fills a glass with half chocolate syrup and half milk. Meanwhile, he is assembling a messy disaster of waffles or possibly pancakes. Later on in the film, Kevin is depressed about the divorce and is glumly playing with his action figures….getting the line of the movie, Kevin blurts out: "I'm gonna smoosh you!" The actor that plays Kevin has a lot of range and he is a national treasure.

Fan Favorite Richard Roundtree has the thankless role as The Captain, but he makes it work. He is forever putting up with the guff of Jackie, Frank and his fellow officers.

In a bizarre subplot, two angry lesbians continually get arrested for fighting with plastic swords. Frank even takes Jackie to their house to observe this spectacle for a date! On that same date, Frank and Jackie have a picnic in the park and then they visit the lesbians fighting and to "cap" it off they go to the gun range.

How could Jackie keep spurning Frank's advances after that?

Overall, there is nothing wrong with "A Time To Die" it has a lovable cast of B-movie favorites and some decently staged action. The plot is pretty silly and melodramatic, but who really cares. Kevin really lifts this up from the muck and the mire.

Set aside some "Time" to watch this classic tonight!

Comeuppance Review by: Ty & Brett

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Despite the cover and the title, "A Time To Die" is not an outright action film; it's more of a drama with action elements. I have to admit it surprised me a bit with its relaxed pacing, its fairly ambitious (if not totally unpredictable) script, its quirky sense of humor, and its emphasis on the characters. There are some outrageous contrivances (especially the never-seen-before "best friend" who gets mistaken for the heroine at one point), and the abrupt ending leaves the fates of some characters unclear. But Traci Lords is very appealing here, and Richard Roundtree is highly amusing as the loud police captain. **1/2 out of 4.

"Jackie" (Traci Lords) is a photographer who was recently convicted for possession of cocaine and as a result was required to spend 400 hours of community service at the police station. To make things even worse, she also lost custody of her young son "Kevin" (Jesse Thomas) in a subsequent divorce proceeding. It's during this time that she meets a police detective by the name of "Frank" (Jeff Conaway) who is also divorced and because of their similar situation become romantically involved to a certain extent. Unfortunately, things become much worse for Jackie when she photographs a police lieutenant named "Eddie" (Robert Miano) in the act of murder and now she becomes a target as well. Now rather than reveal any more I will just say that this film had some solid actors for the most part but the plot got bogged down rather quickly and didn't really regain any traction for most of its duration. Admittedly, Traci Lords performed adequately but even so she wasn't able to enliven this rather dull film on her own and for that reason I have rated it accordingly. Slightly below average.